Fight for Freedom
by LastOrder1
Summary: Zack and Cloud both survive and finally manage to make it to Midgar. However, they soon find themselves pulled into another battle against Shin-Ra as they join forces with old and new friends. Will they be able to stop Shin-Ra? Or will a more sinister foe emerge from the ashes of the past and give them more problems? Pairings: Cloud/Tifa and Zack/Aerith.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or any of it's characters. No copyright infringement intended. FF7 and it's characters rightfully belongs to Square Enix.**

**Hello everyone. This story takes place during and after the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core. Since I'm a big fan of Zack Fair and Cloud Strife, they both live in this story. This is my second story and well, I think that it turned out good. Please feel free to tell me what you all think about it. Zack and Cloud are both just best friends in this story too. Absolutely no slash, except for Zack/Aerith and Cloud/Tifa. Anyways, please enjoy.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey pops, what do you think we should do once we get there?" Zack asks in a loud tone as he turns his head towards the driver who was kind enough to give them a ride to Midgar in the back of his truck.

"What are you sayin'? You two boys are still young, it's up to you to do whatever makes you happy in life. You've gotta find your purpose in life kid," the older man says in a deep voice, as if he's offering Zack and his semi-comatose best friend some wise words of wisdom.

Zack turns and looks over at Cloud. "Heh yeah, easy for him to say. He's not being hunted down like we are." The ex-SOLDIER lets out a long sigh before he continues, "Well Cloud, we are flat broke, man. So, once we get there we need to find a way to get us some money, right?" he says in a serious tone while Cloud continues to stare off into space.

Cloud soon moans through closed lips, "Mmngh." The young blonde manages to slightly lift his head up some for a couple of seconds before he goes limp and his chin comes to rest on his chest again. The younger man sighs before he groans, "Uungh, ngh."

"Oh, hey I've got an idea!" Zack cheerfully announces before he continues, "We were in the military. Hmm, how about I be a mercenary. Yeah, that's an awesome idea. I can do a lot of things that guys my age can't do," Zack cheerfully states, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Hey kid, that's not what I meant. Were you even listening to me?" the driver asks, a little annoyed.

"I'm gonna be a mercenary and that's final. I'll go on all kinds of missions, dangerous ones and easy ones, anything that pays good." He softly chuckles before he adds, "I'm gonna be rich."

Zack smiles as he looks over at his younger friend. "Well, what are you gonna do when we get to Midgar?"  
Cloud remains completely still and silent. Zack can't help but smile as he says, "I know what I'm gonna do when we get there..oh no, wait, that's right her mother lives there too." His smile quickly fades away with the last part of his statement. "Hmm, guess I'll have to think a few things over." He looks at his friend and asks him, "So, when we get there where are you going to stay?"

"Nghhh, guhh," Cloud manages a weak moan as he looks down.

Zack kindly smiles at the blonde. "I'm just kidding. You know I wouldn't do that to you. We're friends, right?"

They continue down the road when they suddenly hit a pot hole.

"Guhh," Cloud groggily groans as he slightly starts to fall over to the side.

Zack catches him before he falls over the rest of the way and sits him back up to where Cloud's propped up again.  
"There ya go friend." He looks up at the bright blue sky as he thinks out loud, "You know somethin', when we left Midgar to go to Nibelhiem about five years ago, it took us like three months to get there. Now we're going back to Midgar from Nibelhiem and it's taken us about nine or ten months. Of course, we've been on foot most of the journey." He gives his friend a big smile and jokes, "Man Cloud, your village really does take the old saying 'out in the sticks' to the extreme. Then again, Gongaga is out in the sticks too." He softly chuckles. "We really are backwater experts, huh Cloud?" Zack laughs as he smiles at his friend.

"Can you hear me? When we arrive in Midgar we're going to start our own business and become mercenaries together. Mercenaries, that's what you and me are gonna be. You understand me, Cloud?" Zack asks as he continues to look at his younger friend.

Cloud incoherently mumbles in response, "Nghh."

Zack kindly takes it as a yes. "Good." Zack smiles as he scoots closer to Cloud and wraps an arm around him, pulling him close for a gentle hug. "I love you, Cloud. You're like a little brother to me. I actually see you more as a brother than a friend. Did I ever tell you that?"

Cloud lets out a comforted sigh as he rests the side of his face on Zack's chest. "Mngh."

Zack gives his younger best friend a big smile and playfully ruffles his hair before he gets up and leans over on the roof of the truck and looks at Midgar coming into view.  
'Finally, we're almost there. I really can't wait to see Aerith again.' Those happy thoughts quickly fades away as Zack suddenly notices two snipers on a nearby hill aiming for a head shot on Cloud. Once the loud piercing sound of a gunshot echoed through the dry desert winds, Zack quickly turns around and tackles Cloud to the floor on the back of the truck. He lands on top of him before the snipers get a successful shot on them. Zack looks at the driver and shouts, "Pops, park us over by the rocks!" Zack turns to Cloud. "Cloud, rides over," Zack says as he quickly scoops up Cloud and jumps off of the truck after it stops.  
Partially putting Cloud down to let him use his own feet, he holds onto the blonde to help support him as they walk over to a shady spot next to some large rocks. Once they reach this spot, Zack sits him down. He crouches down next to him with a concerned look on his face. 'Man, it's been almost a year now. Is he ever going to recover? What am I thinking? Of course he's going to get better. I know him, he's a tough kid,' Zack thinks to himself. He playfully ruffles Cloud's hair while he slightly laughs. After a few seconds, he stands up and walks away.

During this time, Cloud slowly lifts his head up and watches Zack leave. Knowing that this may be the last time that he may see his best friend alive, he's desperate to try and stop him from going. Still unable to speak, he slowly lifts up his left hand and reaches for him. 'No, Zack. Please..don't go. Please, don't...leave me here..like this,' Cloud slowly thinks to himself as he silently begs for Zack to stay. However, Zack doesn't look back and continues walking towards the bright sunlight. Cloud's hand falls down next to him as he suddenly loses consciousness.

**That's the end of the first chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. I've gotten some really good writing tips from the-ice-cold-alchemist, Chibipinkbunny, and Blue Jae, thanks a lot guys. So, I've been editing my stories a lot. Hopefully the paragraph structure is right now. If not, than please feel free to let me know and I'll fix it again. I seriously don't mind fixing it if it needs it. It gives me something to do, haha. Oh, and don't worry, I have it to where Zack does live in this story. There's no main character deaths in this story. In the very last paragraph, that part's from FF7: Advent Children Complete and FF7: Crisis Core. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please feel free to share with me what you think about it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own FF7 or it's characters. FF7 and it's characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. No copyright infringement intended at all.**

**The second chapter of this story, Zack fights and obliterates the Shin-Ra infantrymen army, with some help. There's a little bit of violence in this story, which is why it's rated T. Anyways, any comments are greatly appreciated. So, enjoy.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 2**

Eventually, Zack comes across a large army of Shin-Ra infantrymen. As soon as they see Zack approaching them, they all quickly draw out their swords and aim their guns at him. Zack calmly stands about fifteen feet away from them and places his hands on his hips and lightly smiles. "Boy oh boy," Zack says as he shakes his head. "The price of freedom is steep." He unsheathes his Buster Sword and holds it in front of him, just as Angeal did before him and closes his eyes. "Embrace your dreams and..." Zack looks up and opens his eyes "whatever happens, protect your honor, as SOLDIER!" He gets in his fighting stance and races towards the large army of infantrymen. "Come and get it!" he yells his battle cry as he kills a large group of them with a single mighty swipe with his large sword. A strong look of defiance in his glowing blue mako eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, while the battle wages on about three-hundred yards away, three infantrymen discover a young blonde haired man.

"He's one of the fugitives that escaped Shin-Ra Manor," one of the infantrymen informs as he aims his assault rifle at Cloud, who's still unconscious. The man grins as he prepares to pull the trigger.

"No wait," the infantryman captain orders as he stops him by grabbing the gun. "Get the file out and check," he quickly orders.

"But captain, we all know that he's the right guy," the trooper tells him.

"Well, just double check to make sure," commands the slightly older captain.

Reluctantly, the trooper pulls out a file from his pocket. After unfolding it, he begins to read it out loud, "Name: Cloud Strife. Gender: Male. Age: 21. Occupation: Former Shin-Ra Infantryman. Rank: Private. Birthplace: Nibelhiem. Eyes: Blue. Hair: Blonde."

A third, younger trooper stands next to the captain. "What does the other file say?" he asks.

The first infantryman pulls out another file, unfolds it, and reads it out loud, "Name: Zack Fair. Gender: Male. Age: 23. Occupation: Former SOLDIER 1st Class. Rank: Colonel. Birthplace: Gongaga. Eyes: Blue. Hair: Black."

The younger trooper looks over at the two older infantrymen. "The first file matches his description. So, what should we do with him?" he curiously asks as he slightly raises an eyebrow.

The captain turns around and faces his younger officers. "Just leave him be," he orders.

"What?" the older infantryman asks with a confused look on his face.

"He's pretty much dead already. There's no way that he'll survive, especially without his companion to help him. Come on, lets go," the captain commands. In that moment, they turn around and march away.

* * *

A few minutes later, Cloud's eyes shoot open as he wakes up to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. He looks around through blurred vision. It doesn't take him long to remember where he's at as his vision clears. 'The wastelands? The outskirts of Midgar?...Yeah, that's right,' he thinks to himself.

He softly moans as he faintly says just above a whisper, "Zz..Zaa...Zack?" When he doesn't see his older best friend, he calls out, "Zack?" He suddenly feels greatly concerned and confused when he realizes that Zack's not here. He takes a deep and heavy breath when he remembers that Zack had left before he passed out. He can feel his body jump when he hears more gunfire and explosions.  
'Oh no, Zack... I have to help him. I've already lost my family, my home, and possibly Tifa. I don't want to lose my best friend too,' he worriedly thinks to himself.

Cloud gathers as much strength as he can muster and grabs on to a large rock next to him. He lets out a loud grunt when he tries to pull himself up. He manages to stand up, but he almost instantly falls down, landing with a thud on the dirt covered ground. Deeply motivated, he tries again. This time, he manages to take a few steps. After a few steps, he staggers and falls back down again, landing on his stomach with a soft grunt. He can't help but feel frustrated. 'Stupid mako poisoning. I...have to...have to hurry,' Cloud thinks to himself as he lifts his head up and sees how far he has to go to get to his destination. He grunts as he crawls on his stomach, desperate to try and help Zack before it's too late.

* * *

About half an hour later, he finally arrives at the hill where Zack is still fighting the Shin-Ra infantrymen. While still crawling, Cloud sneaks up behind a trooper who's wielding a sniper rifle. The sniper is laying on his stomach on a small hill over looking the battlefield with his sniper rifle targeting Zack. The trooper gives himself a proud smile as he prepares to pull the trigger.

Summoning as much strength as he can, Cloud picks up a rock and, with both hands, he holds it up over his head and slams it down as hard as he can on the sniper's head. Cloud's mouth drops open when he notices that the blow splits both his helmet and his skull, instantly killing him. Shocked at how he was able to show such strange physical strength, he holds his hands out in front of him, studying them with wide eyes. 'Huh, how did I do that? What's happening to me?' he thinks to himself. Due to all of the commotion, he quickly snaps out of it.

While Zack is fighting and using a lot of evasive maneuvers as well as some materia, Cloud grabs some grenades off of the dead sniper's body and begins rolling them towards large groups of enemies, killing a lot of them.  
Zack wipes out the majority of them while Cloud grabs an assault rifle off of a nearby corpse. He sits on the ground with his back leaning up against a large boulder for support. He takes a deep breath as he aims his weapon at the troops in front of him and pulls the trigger.

Suddenly, one of the infantrymen throws a stun grenade at Zack, knocking him down. Three infantrymen walk over to him with their assault rifles pointed at the ex-SOLDIER, preparing to shoot him. Zack tightly closes his eyes and prepares for the worst. He remembers and thinks about past memories of his friends; Aerith, Cloud, Angeal, Cissnei, Tseng, and Sephiroth. Several cherished memories flashes before his eyes.

The former SOLDIER flinches when he hears gunfire...but only from one assault rifle. Soon after, he hears three loud thud noises followed by clicking sounds from a gun, indicating that it's out of ammo. Zack opens his eyes to see that the last three infantrymen are dead. Zack sits up and sees Cloud leaning up against a large boulder. During the fight, Zack didn't even realize that Cloud was there. The former infantryman drops the rifle on the ground.

"Hang on Cloud, I'm coming," Zack says in a concerned tone. With a worried look on his face, he quickly gets up and races up to him. As Zack kneels down next to him, it begins to rain. Zack scans them both for any injuries. Surprisingly, they're both not injured. "Cloud, are you okay?"

Cloud looks up at him as he manages to slowly mutter in a weak tone, "Zzz...Za...Zack."

Zack looks down at him, surprised and excited. "Hey, you can talk again!" Zack excitedly says as he happily laughs. A feeling of relief instantly floods into Zack's body because now he knows for sure that his best friend is getting better. "So, how are you feeling, buddy?" Zack asks as he sits down next to him to catch his breath.

"Fi...ne," Cloud manages to reply just above a whisper.

"That's good. Man, it's great to hear you talk again. I really missed that," Zack replies as he pats Cloud on the knee.

"Sorry...sir," Cloud apologizes in a shaky voice for his previous condition.

Zack looks at him and raises an eyebrow before asking, "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault, I understood why you wasn't able to talk or anything. You don't have anything to apologize for, okay?" After seeing Cloud nod in agreement, Zack lets out a tired grunt as he climbs to his feet and looks towards Midgar.

"Hey Cloud, we're almost there. We should probably get going," Zack tells his younger friend as he turns back to Cloud. "Can you walk on your own?" he asks Cloud, who's struggling to try to climb up to his feet.  
'Well, I guess that he's not completely over it yet,' Zack thinks to himself as he walks up to the former infantryman and gently grabs the blonde before he begins to half-carry him to help him walk. "It's alright buddy, I got you," Zack kindly says as he begins to half-carry Cloud down the hill.

Cloud slowly speaks to him, "You...alright?" Cloud asks Zack as he struggles to keep his eyes open.

Zack looks at Cloud as they continue walking. "Am I alright? Yeah, of course I am, thanks to you." Zack smiles as he looks straight ahead.

"Good," Cloud quietly says just before he loses consciousness.

Unaware that Cloud's out of it, Zack continues walking and Cloud's feet begins to drag along the ground. "Hey Cloud, walk with me. I'm still a little tired from the battle." After he doesn't get a response, he looks at his friend as he asks, "Cloud?" Zack slightly narrows his eyes some when he sees that the blonde's eyes are closed and he's not moving. The former SOLDIER reaches over and gently places his right hand on Cloud's neck to feel for a pulse. He takes a deep breath of relief. "Good, he's alright. Just sleeping," Zack says to himself before he picks up Cloud and carries him over his left shoulder. He doesn't mind carrying his younger best friend. It's something that he immediately became accustomed to while they were on the run from Shin-Ra.

With Cloud and the Buster Sword in tow, he continues walking. Zack can't help but smile as he thinks about being able to see Aerith again and hopefully it will be soon. He briefly stops to get a better grip on his friend before he adds, "You know something, buddy? You're actually pretty light. Well, I think so anyways. I think that you need to eat a little more. When we get to Midgar and as soon as you wake up tomorrow, we'll try and get a decent meal, okay?"

**Well, that's the end of chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed it. I know that I made Cloud more responsive in this, but, well, he was recovering pretty good at the end of Crisis Core. He was still pretty weak, but he was able to move and talk again. I've read some Zack survives stories and I just wanted to try something a little different. I just thought that it would be really cool to have Cloud help him fight. Cloud's still recovering in this chapter, which is why I made it to where he pretty much just shoots the enemies while sitting down against a boulder. Thanks a lot for reading this, I really appreciate it. Anyways, thank you so much for leaving reviews and telling me what you think about it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 at all. FF7 and its characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing.**

**Alright, chapter 3, Cloud has a flash-back while he's dreaming in this chapter. I don't think that they've ever actually showed his mother's death in any of the games or anything. I know that they didn't in Crisis Core or Last Order and well, I haven't played the original FF7, but I don't think that they have in that game either. So, I've decided to put it in here. Oh, in the dream/flash-back scene, it'll be in italics, like _this_. Please tell me what you think about it. Anyways, enjoy.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 3**

After about three hours of walking, they finally make it to their destination. After five long years...they have finally made it to Midgar. It's night time and wanting to keep a low profile, Zack sneaks around and stays in the alleys and more secluded areas with less people and no Shin-Ra employees or troops. While walking in a small alley, Zack sees a motel across the street.

"Alright buddy, I think that we might have a place to stay for the night," the former SOLDIER tells his younger friend as he grabs Cloud, who's still draped over his left shoulder. He gently sits him down and leans him up against the brick wall in the alley.

"Cold," Cloud groggily mutters as he slightly opens his eyes.

"I know, and that rain probably didn't help none either, did it?" Zack kindly asks in a soft tone as he looks down at Cloud.

Cloud shakes his head in response as he begins to shiver. Zack gently wraps his arms around him in an attempt to help warm him as he informs his younger best friend, "Hey listen, there's a motel over there where we can stay tonight. I've found some money a while ago that someone must have dropped. I'm gonna go and try to get us a room, okay?" Zack smiles when he sees Cloud nod in agreement. "Don't worry Cloud, I'll be right back." The ex-SOLDIER climbs to his feet and marches over to the nearby motel.

Once Zack makes it to the motel, he walks into the office and is greeted by an elderly woman standing behind a wooden desk.

"Good evening sir," the woman greets with a smile. "How may I help you?" she asks in a kind voice as Zack walks up to the desk.

"Hello ma'am. I need a room please," Zack politely answers.

"Okay, that'll be thirty gil."

Zack reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out the money that he found earlier, hoping that he has enough. He counts out thirty-seven gil, he gives her thirty gil and puts the remaining seven gil in his pocket.

"Thank you sir. You're in room number seven. Have a nice night sir," she kindly informs as she hands him the room key.

"Thank you ma'am," Zack replies with a smile as he takes the key and leaves.

Once he leaves, he quickly walks across the street and into the small alley to retrieve Cloud. "Alright, we're in luck, buddy. I got us a room," Zack tells him as he looks down at the blonde, who's still shivering. He kneels down beside him and pats him on the shoulder. "Listen, I know that you're cold, but we've gotta go, okay? It'll be warm in the motel room," Zack says in a comforting tone as he picks up Cloud. After taking a couple of small steps, the former infantryman lets out a soft sigh before he hangs his head low and falls asleep again. "Man, you must be pretty tired, huh?" Zack softly grunts as he drapes Cloud over his left shoulder again. He peaks around the corner of the alley to make sure that the coast is clear. 'Whoa, the streets look so...empty. There's hardly anyone out here,' he thinks to himself. After making sure that it's clear, he quickly makes his way to the motel and up to their assigned room. He quickly unlocks the door and walks in, closing and locking it behind him. Once inside, he looks around. The room is quite nice for a motel room. It's actually pretty clean too. Straight ahead is a bed and next to the wall is a couch. Across from the bed is a T.V. To the left is a small bathroom and to the right is a small kitchen.

"Whoa, one couch and one bed. Well Cloud, since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you take the bed and I'll take the couch, okay?" Zack tells his unconscious friend as he walks over and gently lays him down across the bed to where his legs are dangling over the side of the bed.  
The former SOLDIER walks around the room and quickly closes the blinds and pulls over all of the curtains in the rooms in case any infantrymen walk by. He takes his Buster Sword and leans it up against the wall next to the couch. After securing the area, he walks back over to Cloud, who's still asleep. Zack removes Cloud's gloves and places them on the nightstand next to the bed. Afterwards, he kneels down and begins to remove his boots.

After feeling someone gently tugging on his boots, Cloud slightly wakes up and tries to pull his foot away, unaware that it's Zack.

"It's okay Cloud, it's just me. I'm trying to make you a little more comfortable so that you can get a decent night's sleep," Zack tells him in a tender voice as he continues removing Cloud's boots.

After hearing his friend's voice, the blonde stops struggling. While laying across the bed, Cloud gazes up at the large white ceiling. "Home?" he asks, slightly oblivious to where they are.

Zack glances up at him as he answers, "No such luck, friend. We're in a motel room in Midgar, under the plate and it's.." he looks over at the clock before continuing, "..2:36 a.m.? Well, that explains why there was hardly anyone outside." He looks back up at Cloud to find that he's already fallen back asleep. After placing Cloud's boots next to the nightstand, Zack stands up and removes Cloud's shoulder guards and places them on the table. He looks up and notices that his friend is shivering again. "Hang on, buddy," Zack tells him as he pulls the blankets back. He then grabs Cloud and positions him to where he's laying down on the bed properly. Soon after he covers him up, Cloud stops shivering. "There you go, man," Zack says as he walks towards the couch and removes his gloves and boots. "You know, you seem to have the right idea," the ex-SOLDIER continues as he lets out a big yawn, referring to Cloud already being fast asleep. He yawns again before he adds, "We'll wake up, um," since he feels too tired to think of what time he wants to get up the next morning, he decides to say, "whenever we do." With that being said, he lays down on the couch and instantly falls asleep.

During this time, a past memory comes through in Cloud's mind during his sleep. It was when Sephiroth burned down his village and killed his mother.

* * *

_That night in Nibelhiem was so horrible. There was so much fire and smoke everywhere. Upon seeing his village as a blazing inferno, Cloud was overwhelmed with numerous emotions; anger, sadness, confusion, fear, and rage. After he quickly made his way outside of the Inn, he soon saw his house ablaze. His mouth dropped open when he heard the sounds of glass breaking, which caused him to notice that it was the windows being shattered from the heat of the fire. His eyes widened in fear and concern when he realized that his mother must still be inside the blazing inferno. Deeply concerned about his mother, he didn't even hesitate to run inside his flaming house to try and save her. "Mother!" he yelled after he ran inside, frantically searching for his mother. Fire was climbing up the walls inside and chunks of the ceiling were littering the interior. There was also pools of fire burning brightly on the wooden floor._

_"Mom! Where are you?" he yelled again as he began searching through the rooms. Soon after, he heard a pained moan. Following the sounds, he soon came across the body of his dying mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood. An intense feeling of fear and sadness overwhelmed him as he began to walk towards her._

* * *

"Guhh," Cloud loudly moans, waking Zack up.

Sensing that something is wrong, Zack gets up off of the couch and turns on the light before he walks over to his younger best friend. "What's wrong, Cloud?" Zack asks with a concerned look on his face. He immediately notices that Cloud's still asleep, but he's sweating quite badly.  
'Either he's having a bad nightmare or he has a fever,' he thinks to himself as he gently places the back of his hand on Cloud's forehead. "Oh no, he has a fever," Zack says out loud as he begins to worry. He quickly pulls the blankets off of the blonde and sprints into the bathroom. He hastily rummages through the supplies in the bathroom in search of anything useful, accidentally knocking some things down in the process. He feels a little relieved when he finds a thermometer in a cabinet. He quickly grabs it and makes his way back into the bedroom. Zack puts it in Cloud's mouth to check his temperature.

After a while, he pulls it out and reads it, "102.4, man that's high. Hang on, I've gotta get some stuff." Zack quickly goes and gets a bowl of cold water and a washcloth. Going back into the bedroom, he sits the supplies down on the nightstand next to the bed and pulls up a chair and sits down. He grabs the washcloth and soaks it into the bowl of cold water. "Here, this will help," he informs in a concerned tone as he rings it out and gently places it on his friend's forehead.

* * *

_"Mother," Cloud sadly said as he fell to his knees next to her. He laid his assault rifle down beside him before he gently laid her head in his arms._

_Upon hearing the voice of her only child, his mother weakly looked up at him with half opened blue eyes. Cloud's eyes became wide with worry when he noticed that she had a large sword slash wound in her chest. "Cloud?" she faintly whispered._

_"Yeah, it's me. It's okay, I'm here," Cloud told her as he struggled to hold back his tears._

_"Please, I want to see the face of my son," she said as tears began to well up in her eyes. Cloud instantly obeyed and removed his helmet and placed it beside him next to his assault rifle. Upon seeing his face, she weakly smiled and put her hand on his cheek. Tears began to roll down her pale face. "I'm so proud of you...I've always been proud of you." She squeezed her eyes shut as her face twisted in agony from her injuries._

_Cloud's eyes widened as he stared down at her in shock. "M-Mother?"_

_She moaned in pain before she looked up at Cloud. "I love you..Cloud, my son," she weakly told him as her hand fell to her stomach. Tears began to fall from Cloud's eyes and roll down his cheeks, which were slightly blackened from the smoke._

* * *

"No, mom," Cloud unconsciously mumbles as tears begin to roll down his pale cheeks.

Zack sadly looks down at him as he dips the cloth back into the bowl of cold water. He rings it out and places it on Cloud's forehead again. 'He must be having a nightmare too. Poor kid, I still have my parents. His whole family is dead,' Zack sadly thinks to himself. He really hates seeing his younger friend like this. Cloud did have a few fevers when they were on their long journey to Midgar, and each and every time it's always scared Zack. Of course, Zack knew better than to panic so he always remained calm, but it still worried him because he understands how serious fevers can be.

* * *

_"It's alright," his mother slowly whispered. Her eyes continued gazing up at Cloud as they slowly closed forever in death as she took her last breath._

_______Distraught and frightened of seeing his mom die in his arms, Cloud held onto her a little tighter in his strong yet gentle arms, not wanting to let her go. Overwhelmed with so many emotions, Cloud began to cry and whimper like a frightened child. ________"Mother, please don't go. Don't leave me. Please, I hate being alone," he begged as he sobbed in despair._

_Soon after, his mother's body began to join the lifestream. He looked around and realized that the fire was spreading rapidly, he had no choice but to leave. He put his helmet back on and grabbed his assault rifle. He let out a low grunt when he climbed to his feet.  
__He sadly looked down at his mother's body as she joined the Lifestream. "I love you too, mom. He'll pay for what he's done to you. I swear that as long as I'm alive Sephiroth will die. I promise," Cloud made his oath before he turned to leave. His eyes widened when he realized that he has to help his friends. "Tifa and Zack! I have to find them." The infantryman wiped his tears away with his forearm before he told himself, "I can't fail them too."_

_He quickly ran out of the ruins of his home just as most of the ceiling began to collapse. As soon as he made it outside, he saw Sephiroth walking past the General Store. All of the sadness and fear that once overwhelmed him has now been replaced by anger and rage. __The village was littered with dead bodies and the entire area was consumed with fire and smoke. Cloud narrowed his eyes in immense fury as he aimed his gun at him and pulled the trigger._  
_Each bullet would've hit the target, however, Sephiroth quickly teleported out of the way. Teleporting in front of him, Sephiroth knocked the gun out of his hands and into a nearby pool of fire. A sharp gasp escaped from the infantryman as the general_ _roughly grabbed him by the throat and picked him up off of the ground._

* * *

"Ngh, ugh," Cloud groans.

Zack gently pats him on the arm. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here for you, man," Zack replies in a sympathetic tone as he puts the back of his hand on Cloud's forehead again.

* * *

_"Too bad about your hometown, kid," Sephiroth said in an icy tone as he cruelly smiled at Cloud._

_Cloud glared down at him and grunted as he struggled to try and break free. Sephiroth glanced over at Cloud's flaming house and grinned.__Glaring back at the young teen, he coldly taunted, "Perhaps it's time for me to send you home to mommy." __He began to laugh, however, this only infuriated Cloud even more._

_"I...hate..you!" Cloud managed to choke out. __He let out a loud and angry sounding grunt as he punched Sephiroth in the face as hard as he could. However, it didn't even seem to phase the mad man._

_The general laughed at him before he decided to taunt the infantryman again, "I thought that you were trained by Zack. Is that the best you can do?"_

_Cloud gave him an angry glare as he continued to try and break free from Sephiroth's strong grip._ _"You're pathetic, you're no match for me, boy," Sephiroth cruelly replied as he roughly threw Cloud to the ground, nearly knocking him unconscious. He walked away with his sword, Masamune, in his left hand._

* * *

Zack places the thermometer into Cloud's mouth to check his temperature again. After a while, he pulls it out and reads it, "99.1. Well, it's almost back down to normal." After reading that, Zack couldn't help but give his unconscious friend a hopeful smile. "You're going to be alright, just stay with me, kid."

* * *

_Cloud continued lying on his stomach when he suddenly heard footsteps racing towards him._

_"Hey, are you alright?" Zack asked as he knelt down next to him._

_"Sephiroth," Cloud slowly muttered._

_______"I know. Listen, I have to stop Sephiroth and help Tifa and her dad," Zack said as he helped Cloud climb to his feet. __"Zangan told me that they're at the mako reactor," Zack revealed as Cloud worriedly looked up at him. __"Don't worry Cloud. I'll go to the mako reactor and help them. As for you, you stay here and help Zangan and the villagers, okay?"_

_Cloud stood up straight and saluted his commanding officer. "Yes sir."_

* * *

Cloud's fever finally breaks and his temperature returns to normal. Zack looks at him and smiles as he lets out a deep sigh of relief. "Whew man, you really know how to worry me, kiddo," Zack says as he removes the wet cloth from his forehead. "How are you feeling, huh? Are you okay now?" he asks as Cloud slightly wakes up and looks up at Zack, who's still sitting in a chair next to the bed.

"Ugh, yes," Cloud weakly answers in a groggy voice.

Zack manages a smile before telling him, "That's good. We should go back to sleep, alright?" Zack watches as Cloud's eyes slowly slide shut as he falls asleep again. Out of concern, Zack walks over to the other side of the bed and lays down next to him. He has come so close to losing his best friend on quite a few occasions before, so he wants to make sure that his younger friend really is okay. After a couple of hours, the ex-SOLDIER climbs off of the bed and returns to the couch to get some sleep since Cloud's not showing anymore signs of a fever.

**Okay, that's it, the end of Chapter 3. Please review too, I really do appreciate your reviews. I was switching back and forth between the flashback/dream and real-time scenes. Hopefully I didn't confuse anybody. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. FF7 and all of its characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. No copyright infringement intended at all.**

**Alright, chapter 4. Please leave reviews to tell me what you think. Enjoy.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 4**

The ex-infantryman's eyes slowly open as he finally wakes up. He repeatedly blinks his eyes a few times in an attempt to try and make his blurred vision fade away. After he manages to focus and get his blurry vision to fade away, his eyes immediately scan the room to notice his surroundings. He lets out a soft grunt as he sits up in the bed. He lets out an even louder grunt when he almost falls over after trying to stand up. With a determined look on his face, Cloud manages to successfully stand up on the hard wood floor. After realizing that he can now stand up on his own, he can't help but smile as he looks down and watches himself walk. 'Whoa, this is something that I really missed,' he thinks to himself. He soon looks down at his arms and can't help but notice at just how dirty they are. 'I sure can use a shower.'

"I love you, Aerith," Cloud hears a familiar voice say in a groggy tone. A small smile finds its way on his face when he realizes that it's Zack.

Cloud tilts his head some when he notices that Zack is laying down on a nearby couch with his arm wrapped around a pillow. The young blonde slightly narrows his eyes in confusion as he quietly asks himself, "Is he talking in his sleep?"

A small smile finds its way on Cloud's face when he suddenly remembers the time when they were in Nibelheim and Zack was acting silly and pretending to act like his mother. This is a perfect opportunity for him to get back at his best friend for that incident. The former infantryman's mind is set, so he decides to play a joke on him. He takes a deep quiet breath before he begins to silently tiptoe towards the couch. Crouching down next to the couch, Cloud places his hand over his mouth to try and keep himself from laughing at his best friend.

"Aerith, I love you so much, baby." Zack softly giggles as he gently kisses the pillow.

"I love you too, Zack," Cloud says while trying to make his voice sound as feminine as possible.

Zack gently nuzzles the side of his face into the pillow before he mumbles, "We'll always be together."

"Oh, yes Zack, always," Cloud replies in a feminine voice, struggling to keep himself from laughing.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

'Huh, mom? I guess he's dreaming about someone else now,' Cloud thinks to himself as he slightly narrows his eyes in confusion. He continues to play along.

"What do you want for breakfast, son?" Cloud asks, still trying to make himself sound like a woman.

A big smile finds its way on Zack's face as he unconsciously answers, "Mmm, toast."

"Okay, Zack."

"Mom? Please make some for Cloud, he's hungry too," Zack requests in a groggy voice.

"I like waffles more," Cloud softly replies in his normal tone.

"Mom?" he asks.

"Yes, sweetie?" Cloud asks, changing his voice to try and sound feminine again.

"Please make Cloud waffles instead. He likes them more," he answers, his voice still sounding a little groggy.

"Sure thing, Zack," Cloud tells him in a feminine sounding voice, still trying not to laugh.

Finding it almost impossible to keep himself from bursting out in laughter, Cloud decides to stop so that he doesn't wake him up. However, Zack soon opens his eyes and gazes up at Cloud. Zack's eyes widen in surprise as he slightly jumps up, startled at seeing a pair of bright blue eyes staring directly at him.

"Ahh, hey, you're not Aerith or my mom," Zack tells Cloud in a voice that sounds a little louder than what he intended as he gets up off of the couch and stands up. His vision is still a little bit blurry from just waking up.

Cloud softly laughs before he replies, "Yeah, I don't mind being your friend, but it would be really creepy if I was your girlfriend or your mother." Cloud slightly shudders from the thought. "I'd have to draw the line there," Cloud teases in his usual calm tone as he climbs to his feet.

After rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Zack looks over at Cloud and smiles. After becoming more fully awake, he realizes that Cloud is obviously feeling much better. "I'm happy that you're feeling better Cloud," Zack tells him as he gives his younger friend a hug. "You really had me worried last night, man. You were pretty sick." He lets him go and places his hands on Cloud's shoulders to look at him. He almost immediately notices the dried up dirt on Cloud's arms. "Hmm, you need a shower." Cloud looks up at him after hearing his older best friend's words. "You look like you've been crawling around in the dirt," Zack teases as he releases him and points towards the bathroom. "The bathroom's that way if you want to take a shower and get cleaned up," he informs as Cloud looks in the direction that he's pointing in.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll be out in a few minutes," Cloud replies before he walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. After his shower, he gets dressed back into his SOLDIER 1st Class uniform. Wait, a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform? How did he get this outfit? He never made SOLDIER. He really does like this uniform though. Perhaps he'll ask Zack when he's done. When he's finished getting dressed, he looks into a mirror above the sink to see how he looks in his outfit. Cloud instantly notices that his once natural blue eyes are now glowing an unnatural bright blue. "What the..? Zack?!" he shouts as he opens the door and quickly makes his way towards his friend, nearly running into him in the process.

"Whoa, what is it?" Zack asks as he gives the former infantryman a confused look.

"Zack, my eyes are blue," Cloud blurts out.

Zack looks at him as if he's lost his mind or something. "Um, yeah..they've always been blue. It's called natural eye coloration."

Cloud shakes his head before he tries to explain, "No, no, not that. I mean they glow blue. You know, like yours."

Zack looks at Cloud's eyes, but he doesn't look or act surprised. "Oh, yeah...that. You're right. They're just like mine now, but I've noticed it for quite a while."

Cloud looks at him. "Really? Um, well, how long have they been like that?"

"..A while," Zack answers.

"Since when?" Cloud curiously asks.

Zack remains quiet for a few seconds. He really doesn't like to talk about their time in the lab. "Since...we left the lab," Zack quietly replies as he looks down at the wooden floor of their motel room.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't..." Cloud tries to apologize.

"It's okay. That's behind us now. Let the past be the past. Never live in a memory, right?" Zack tells him as he pats Cloud on the back and manages a slight smile.

"Um...Zack?"

"Huh?"

"How did I get this uniform?" Cloud asks, looking down at his outfit while holding onto the front of his shirt with his fingers.

"Well, your infantryman uniform wasn't in the greatest of shape, it was torn in a couple of places, stained with some blood, and it was also soaked with mako energy, which was making you sicker. You went through the treatments too, and I knew how much you wanted to be in SOLDIER. So I figured, why not wear the outfit? It was also the only set of clothes that I could find that would actually fit you. Although it's a little big on you, but not by much," Zack explains.

Cloud's face begins to turn red as he realizes that his friend had to dress him while he was unconscious at that time. "Oh, okay," is all that he's able to get out as he suddenly feels embarrassed. He instantly looks down at the floor after he feels his face turn red.

"So, are you hungry?" Zack asks as Cloud sits down at a round table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah." Zack walks over and places a large plastic zip-lock bag of deer jerky on the table next to him. "Where did you get this?" Cloud asks, picking up the bag.

"In the kitchen. I was looking around while you were in the shower. I also found a couple of cans of beef stew. We'll have one can for supper later and the other one for tomorrow. I found a couple of hooded cloaks in the closet too. That was pretty much it." Zack marches past him. "I'm gonna get a shower. I'll be back in a little bit." Cloud opens up the plastic bag of deer jerky and begins to eat some. Zack turns and looks at him just before he walks into the bathroom. "Oh hey, save me some jerky."

Cloud nods. "Alright."

After a few minutes, Zack comes out of the bathroom. "Man, a hot shower never felt so good." He smiles as he sits down next to Cloud and starts to eat some of the deer jerky. "Mmm, this is some really good jerky," Zack says as he takes a big bite from a jerky strip and savors the gamey and salty taste of the meat.

"Mmm, hmm," Cloud agrees as he hungrilly stuffs another bite of deer jerky in his mouth.

Zack looks over at him and slightly laughs. "You know, you're making me look bad."

Cloud stops eating and looks at Zack. "Huh, how so?" he asks.

"Well, it's just um, on the way here, I did feed you. You're acting like you're starving to death."

Cloud reaches back into the bag and grabs another piece of jerky. "I don't think that I've eaten anything like this for a while, just things like soup and applesauce."

A soft chuckle escapes from Zack before he tells his best friend, "Relax, I'm just kidding, eat as much as you want...but you are eating too fast. I just don't want you to choke or anything." Cloud looks like he's too occupied with the meat, so in order to get his attention so that Cloud will eat a bit slower, Zack reveals to his friend, "Oh, you know another thing that I fed you besides applesauce and soup was babyfood." A big smile finds it's way on Zack's face after the sudden realization. He's also curious at how Cloud will react.

Cloud stops eating and looks over at Zack. "You fed me babyfood?"

Zack smiles at him. "Yeah, you were pretty out of it a lot of the time and I had to feed you something."

Cloud calmly looks down at the table. "I understand. It's just...I'm not a baby, I'm sixteen."

Suddenly, Zack starts to cough just after Cloud mentions how old he thinks that he is.

"You okay?" Cloud asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just, um, well I don't know how to tell you this, but.." Zack manages to say after he clears his throat and stops coughing.

Cloud looks at him, his eyes slightly furrow in confusion. "Tell me what?" he asks.

"Alright, I really don't know how to tell you this. So, I'll just say it. We've been in the lab for four years and we was on the run for almost one year. You're twenty-one now and I'm twenty-three," Zack informs in a sympathetic tone. He wanted to tell Cloud in a better way, but he really couldn't think of a way to properly tell his friend.

Cloud looks at him with a shocked look on his face. Cloud's eyes widened just as Zack told him that. "Five years?" After he remembers the Nibelheim incident, he urgently asks in a deeply concerned tone, "Tifa, what happened to Tifa?" Cloud can feel his heart sink at the question.

Zack gives him a sympathetic look as he honestly replies, "I don't know."

Cloud sadly looks down and closes his eyes after hearing his older friend's answer.

Zack suddenly feels guilty of the answer that he gave him. "She's probably doing good. She seemed really tough. Who knows? Maybe we'll run into her here in Midgar," Zack says, trying to make Cloud feel better. He's always hated seeing his younger friend look and feel sad like that. There's just something about Cloud that reminds Zack of an innocent and young kid.

Cloud looks back up at him with eyes full of hope as well as an infinite look of trust. "You really think so?"

Zack gently pats him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I really do," Zack answers, hoping that he's right.

After they get done eating, Zack stands up and puts what's left of the deer jerky away.

"Hey Cloud, I'm gonna go out for a little while. Do you want to come with me?"

Cloud remains seated at the table, resting his head on top of his arm on the table top, tracing the natural swirling wood designs on it with his finger. "You're leaving? But what if they're still looking for us?" Cloud asks as he quickly sits up, giving Zack a worried look.

"Relax, we'll be alright. It's raining outside again and we have a couple of hooded cloaks in the closet. We won't look suspicious," Zack tells him as he gets into the closet and puts one of the black hooded cloaks on, pulling the hood up over his head.

"Alright man, how do I look?" he asks with a smile, standing in front of Cloud.

"Mysterious," Cloud answers with a blank expression. "I'll stay here and watch over the place."

Zack walks over and pats him on the shoulder. "Okay." Zack walks towards the door and unlocks it. Before opening it, he turns to his friend. "Oh, and watch over my sword too," Zack orders before he opens the door.

"Alright, but please be really careful, okay Zack?"

"It's okay, I'll be fine," Zack says as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

With a worried sigh, Cloud walks over to the T.V. and turns it on. He sits down at the foot of the bed and grabs the remote and starts to flip through the channels.

* * *

About two hours later, Zack walks through the door. After seeing Zack walk in, Cloud grabs the remote and turns off the T.V. before he sits the remote down on the T.V. stand.

"Hey buddy, look who I found," Zack cheerfully says with a big smile on his face.

Zack steps off to the side to close the door behind them, revealing a young black haired woman following close behind him. Cloud's eyes widen as he stands up, looking both happy and surprised. He can't believe it, he honestly wasn't expecting to see her. The sinking feeling that once plagued his heart quickly fades away. The inside of his body begins to radiate with warmth and relief upon seeing the face of the woman of his dreams.

"Tifa?"

After seeing and hearing Cloud's voice, Tifa runs over to him. "Cloud!" She tightly wraps her arms around him. Cloud smiles and shyly hugs her back. "I missed you so much. There were a few times when I thought that I would never see you again," she says as she tightens her grip on him, as if she's afraid that she'll lose him again if she lets him go.

"I'll leave you two kids alone," Zack tells them as he walks into the kitchen to give them some privacy to talk.

"I really missed you too, Tifa." Cloud can feel his face turn red after telling her that.

Tifa and Cloud finally releases each other as the young girl says, "Zack told me some of what happened to you guys after Nibelhiem. I'm very sorry to hear that."

Cloud looks down at the floor. "Oh, so...he told you everything?"

Tifa looks up at him and shakes her head. "Not everything. He was very plain about it. I can't blame you two for not wanting to talk about what happened." Not liking this uncomfortable conversation, Tifa decides to quickly change the subject. "So, I'm very glad that you're here Cloud. I've always been keeping my eyes and ears open in case something about you comes up."

Cloud looks at her with wide eyes. "Really?" He thought that Tifa has forgotten all about him by now because it's been...8 years now since their promise in Nibelheim under the stars on the water tower? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Tifa smiles at him. "Yeah, I have. Oh, I've opened my own bar in Sector Seven. The bar's called Seventh Heaven. So if you ever feel like coming by, I would really enjoy your company." Tifa can't help but look down some when she said the last part in an attempt to try and hide her shyness.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Cloud replies as he slightly begins to blush.

Tifa looks up at him and smiles before telling him, "Well, I would love to stay here and talk to you guys longer, but I need to get back to the bar." Tifa notices that Cloud returns the smile. "You have a very pretty smile, Cloud. You should do it more often," she tells him as she reaches up and gently kisses him on the cheek. Cloud's eyes instantly widen as his face blushes even more. He shyly looks down at the floor in a futile attempt to hide his sudden shyness. Cloud's always had a huge crush on Tifa ever since they were little kids growing up in the small, secluded, mountain village of Nibelheim. Cloud remains smiling as he looks at her. "You always look really cute, but you look even cuter when you smile." Cloud's mouth slightly drops open some, he can't help it. "Well, I've gotta go. I'll be at the bar if you and Zack need anything." Tifa then turns around to leave, Cloud watches her as she walks towards the door.

After Tifa leaves, Zack peaks his head from around the corner of the wall to see Cloud still standing in the same place, smiling, blushing, and resting his hand on his cheek in the same place where Tifa kissed him. His bright blue eyes are wide and unblinking, as if he's in a trance.

Zack walks up to him, he can't help but laugh and smile at his friend's reactions when he's around girls...especially Tifa. "Aww, that was so sweet," the ex-SOLDIER tells his friend in a playful tone. "You haven't changed a bit Cloud. You're still that quiet and shy infantryman that I met seven years ago."

Snapping out of the trance, Cloud looks over at him. "Huh?" he asks.

"She kissed you on the cheek didn't she?" Zack playfully asks with a big smile.

Cloud nods his head with his hand still resting on the side of his face where Tifa kissed him as he answers, "Uh, huh."

Zack happilly laughs as he pats Cloud on the back. "Yeah, that's my boy Cloud."

"Um, we're just childhood friends," Cloud answers nervously as he scratches his arm.

"Cloud and Tifa sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Zack sings as he playfully teases his friend, who starts to get a little annoyed.

"Hey, cut it out and stop acting like an idiot," Cloud orders in an annoyed tone as he quickly picks up a pillow from the bed and tosses it at Zack.

Using his enhanced super-human speed, Zack easily dodges it. The former SOLDIER lets out a soft chuckle as he replies, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll quit, I know how you are with Tifa." Zack laughs as he starts to take off his hooded cloak. "Guess what? I got you something." Zack puts his cloak in the closet before he turns to Cloud and unsheathes a large sword from his back that looks very similar to the Buster Sword.

Cloud walks towards him. "How did you get this?" he asks as his eyes widen in surprise, studying the sword.

"While I was out a man got attacked by some monsters. I killed the monsters and saved him. He owned a weapon shop, and to show his gratitude, he offered me a free weapon of my choice. So, I picked this one." Cloud continues to stare at the sword in awe. "Do you like it?"

Cloud continues gazing at the sword with wide eyes as he replies, "Yeah, it's so...cool looking." His bright blue eyes finally meet Zack's before he tells him, "Thank you, Zack."

Zack smiles at him because he can tell that his younger friend likes the gift. "You're welcome. I knew you'd like it." Zack shows him how to detach the smaller swords as he says, "When you do this, numerous smaller swords detaches from the main blade. It's pretty much several swords built into one."

Looking over at the clock and noticing how late it's starting to get, Zack hands Cloud his new sword. "Man, it's almost five o'clock already. I gotta fix us that beef stew for supper." He marches into the kitchen to fix his and Cloud's supper. Cloud sits on the bed and studies his new sword given to him by Zack. About half an hour later, Zack walks in with two bowls of beef stew. Sitting the bowls on the table, Zack looks over at Cloud as he announces, "Cloud, it's time to eat."

Cloud looks at him as he answers, "Okay." He gets up and leans his sword up against the wall next to Zack's Buster Sword. They both sit down at the table and begin to eat.

During supper, Zack looks over at Cloud and tells him, "Tomorrow I'm going to teach you a few sword moves and techniques."

Cloud looks up at him from across the table. "Really?" he asks in a tone that actually sounded excited. Cloud's always liked training time with Zack. He's always looked forward to spending time with the older man who's his best friend, former commanding officer, mentor, older brother figure, father figure, and hero.

"Yeah."

"Are we really going to start our own business and become mercenaries?"

Zack quickly looks up at him. He's surprised that Cloud actually heard what he told him in the back of the truck on their way to Midgar. "You know what I told you?" he asks.

The blonde nods. "Uh-huh."

The former SOLDIER can't help but feel quite surprised. He finds himself wondering if Cloud was able to understand everything else that he told him when he had mako poisoning. He gives the former infantryman a cheerful smile as he replies, "Well then, of course we're going to become mercenaries together. You know I would never go back on my word. Why do you think that I got that sword for you?"

Cloud smiles as he continues eating.

"So, what do you think we should name our business, Cloud?"

Cloud looks up at him and tries to think of a name. He finds himself deep in thought as he rummages through his imagination. However, he can't think of a good name for their business.

Zack notices that Cloud's concentrating due to the serious look on his face. "We'll pick out a name later, okay?" Zack tells him before he continues eating his stew.

"Zack?" Cloud looks across the table at him again.

"What?"

"Thank you," he says in a grateful tone that sounded close to a whisper.

"For the sword?"

"Well, yeah...but I just wanted to thank you for protecting and taking care of me on the long way here," the blonde says as he stares down at his bowl.

Zack kindly smiles at him. "You're welcome, buddy." Zack starts to eat again.

The former infantryman looks at Zack. "Can I ask you something?"

Zack nods. "Uh-huh," he answers as he stops eating again so that he can answer his younger friend's question.

Cloud looks down at the table again and stirs up his beef stew with his spoon. He sighs before he tells his best friend, "Never mind."

Zack raises an eyebrow before he tells him, "Come on, man. What were you going to say?"

"Just forget it, Zack. It's nothing."

The older man remains persistent while he replies, "You were going to ask me something. I want to know what your question is." Zack notices Cloud slightly shaking his head as he continues staring down at his stew. "Cloud, will you please just tell me already?" It sounded more like an order than a question.

The blonde lets out a small sigh and continues looking down into his bowl before he finally proceeds with his question, "I was like that for almost a year, I know that I slowed you down a lot..why didn't you leave me?"

Zack looks up at him from across the table with a serious look on his face. "Because we're friends and friends are suppose to look out for each other. You really needed my help, so I helped you." Zack can't help but slightly shiver at his next statement, "Besides, leaving you behind in that lab, that hellhole, was not an option for me. I have no regrets for my decision...even if you wasn't able to save me during that attack last night."

"Thank you, Zack."

Zack smiles at him as they continue eating. He stops eating when he suddenly remembers something. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, on my way back here Tifa said that she'll have a job for us soon. It seems that our business is already starting!" Zack informs Cloud in an excited tone.

"What job is it?" Cloud asks.

"I don't know, she didn't say. She said that she'll call us to let us know when the job is ready," Zack answers.

"Oh, I see," Cloud calmly says just before him and Zack continue eating.

**Alright, there's chapter 4. I know that it took me a while to type this one up and post it. It actually took me a little longer to get this one done than what I had anticipated. Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and the sword that Zack got for Cloud in this chapter is the same one that he uses in the movie. I hope that you all liked this chapter and please feel free to review if you'd like.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or any of the FF7 characters. FF7 and the FF7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing.**

**Alright chapter 5. There's a few cuss words in this chapter too, just to warn you guys. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Please review/comment to tell me what you all think, enjoy.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 5  
**  
"You're doing it right, except you need to fix your fighting stance. Like this," Zack informs as he shows Cloud the proper stance.

While holding onto his sword, Cloud looks over at Zack and tries to mimic his stance. "Like this?"

Zack marches over to Cloud. "Put your arm down just a little bit lower," he tells him as he positions Cloud's arms to where he's standing in the correct position. "Like that. Okay, now try again," Zack orders. Cloud obeys and tries the move that Zack has been teaching him. After a flurry of slashes, Cloud does it correctly.

Zack gives his friend a proud smile as he tells him, "Wow, you catch on quick! Great job, Cloud. You're on your way to mastering Chain Slash."

Cloud looks up at him as he gives himself a small smile, proud after accomplishing the great achievement.

"But just to make sure that you've got that move down, I want you to do it one more time." Zack smiles as Cloud nods and gets in the proper fighting stance and proceeds to do the fighting technique that his mentor and friend has been teaching him again. After successfully completing the move, Zack walks up to him and pats him on the back. "Good work, Cloud. I've taught you pretty much all of my moves and techniques and you have aced them all. I'm really proud of you."

After leaning his sword up against the wall next to the Buster Sword, Cloud looks up at Zack and smiles. "Thank you, sir," he replies.

"Oh, and Cloud?" Zack asks.

"Yeah?"

"We're not in the military anymore, so I'm no longer your commanding officer. You don't have to call me 'sir' anymore," Zack states.

"Oh yeah," Cloud says, scratching the back of his head. He usually does refer to Zack by his name, but sometimes he finds himself calling him 'sir' because it was standard procedure in the military. After Cloud goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water, the telephone suddenly rings.

"I got it," Zack tells his friend as he walks over to answer the phone. After picking it up, Zack begins to talk to the person on the other line. "Hello?" After a few seconds, a big smile appears on his face before he continues, "Really?! Yeah, okay. Uh, huh. Yeah, we'll be over there soon. Okay, bye." Zack hangs up the phone just as Cloud walks out of the kitchen drinking a glass of water.

He hands Zack a second glass of water that he has in his other hand. "Who was it?" he curiously asks.

After gulping down some of the refreshing ice cold water, Zack answers him, "It was Tifa. She said that she has a job for us."

Zack can't help but smile when he notices that Cloud's slightly smiling after he mentioned Tifa. "She wants us to come over to her bar and she'll tell us more about the job," Zack informs his younger friend. It has been a couple of days now since Tifa came over. Since then Zack has been training Cloud several sword and fighting techniques. Zack realizes that now since Cloud is super-human like him, he can actually teach him fighting moves and techniques that's a lot more advanced than the ones that he was training him back when they worked for Shin-Ra. "We should get going," Zack says as he walks over to a nearby window, pulling back the curtain to look outside. "Guess what Cloud?" Zack asks as he pulls the curtains back over the window.

"What?" Cloud asks as he looks at him.

"It's not pouring down rain, but it's sprinkling though," he says with a smile.

A puzzled expression appears on Cloud's face as he thinks about something before he decides to ask, "Hey, Zack? We're under the plate, right?"

Zack looks over at him and nods. "Yes."

Cloud gives him a confused look as he asks, "Then how can it rain here where we're at?"

A puzzled expression also appears on Zack's face as he looks down at the floor, deep in his thoughts. "You know, that is seriously a very good question. Whenever I find out, I'll be sure to let you know," the ex-SOLDIER answers with a soft chuckle as he runs his fingers through his black spiky hair.

"Oh, forget it. Let's just get going," Cloud says as he grabs his and Zack's swords. "I just want to hurry up and get this job done so that we can get some money."

"Alright." Zack smiles as he grabs his sword after Cloud hands it to him. Zack knows that the reason why Cloud is so anxious to leave is because he wants to see Tifa. After they both put on their boots and gloves and sheath their swords on their backs, they split the 7 gil between the both of them. After that, they leave their motel room and head to Seventh Heaven.

* * *

After they arrive at the bar, they go inside to meet up with Tifa. "Hey, please make yourselves at home. I'll be with you guys soon," Tifa tells them with an inviting smile while tending to the customers.

They both smile and nod to let her know that they heard her. "Hey buddy, I'll be over here okay," Zack says to Cloud as he pats him on the shoulder. He marches to an unoccupied round wooden table and sits down with his back turned to the wooden counter where Tifa is working.

After noticing that Tifa can use some help, Cloud decides to help her out. Walking up to the wooden counter where Tifa is, he asks her in a calm tone, "Need any help?"

Tifa looks up at him and smiles. "No thanks, I got it."

"Oh." Cloud pauses to think of what else to say before replying, "Can I wipe off the counter or something then?"

Knowing that Cloud wants to help her out and is being rather persistent about it, she decides to let him. "Alright, you can come over here and wipe off the counter if you want," she says with a warm smile.

Cloud slightly smiles back as he walks behind the counter with her. Grabbing a wash rag, he begins wiping down the counter. While cleaning the counter, Cloud can't help but notice a drunk middle aged man sitting down at the counter. "Come on baby, give me another drink," he rudely says to Tifa with slurred speech.

Tifa stands in front of him on the same side of the counter as Cloud. "No, sorry sir, but I'm not going to get you anymore," she tells him as she begins to get slightly annoyed.

"Come on, woman. I want another drink, now get me one," the drunk argues.

"She said no," Cloud says in Tifa's defense.

The frustrated drunk gives Cloud an angry glare. "Stay out of this SOLDIER boy."

Cloud stops wiping off the counter and slightly begins to clench his fists at his sides. Tifa notices and gently grabs the blonde's arm in an attempt to calm him down.

"You've had enough, sir," she says to the drunk man.

"Come on, do your job lady!" he shouts.

"You should leave," Cloud warns as he narrows his eyes.

The angry drunk gives Cloud another angry glare. "Who in the hell asked you, pretty boy?"

Cloud returns the glare because he's getting very frustrated with this man.

The man then looks straight ahead at Tifa. "I want another drink!" he shouts as he stands up and clenches his teeth.

"You're very drunk, because of that I'm not going to give you anymore. There's a certain amount of liqour that all customers can have, there's a limit. They're not my rules they're Sector 7's rules that all bars in this area has to go by," she explains. Despite the young woman's explanation, the drunk man is now furious. So out of anger he slaps Tifa hard across the face.

After seeing him hurt Tifa, Cloud's anger explodes. Before Tifa even gets a chance to react, Cloud leaps over to the other side of the counter and onto the drunk man, roughly pinning him to the floor in the process. The drunk manages to catch a quick glimpse of his attacker's face and sees that it's the young man with spiky blonde hair. He also can't help but notice the pair of glowing blue eyes that's burning with blue fire just inches away from his face. The drunk cries out when Cloud begins punching him in the face. Luckily for him, Cloud has enough self-control to hold back most of his super-human strength.  
The drunk, who is a normal human and therefore is no match against Cloud, struggles to try and break free. However, with the angry blonde sitting on top of him pinning him to the floor, he realizes that he's nowhere near as strong as Cloud. The man somehow manages to punch Cloud in the chest, but the blow doesn't even seem to hurt him. Cloud continues punching the man.

"Hey, Cloud stop it!" Tifa yells while looking down at them from across the counter, trying to get his attention with hopes that the former infantryman will get off of the guy. Sure the man was being a jerk, but the last thing that she wants is for Cloud to kill one of her customers.

While hitting the man, Cloud feels someone behind him strongly grab him from under the arms and tries to pull him off. The former infantryman is so furious that he doesn't even look behind him to see who it is. He quickly pushes the person away and continues hitting his victim. A couple of seconds later, he once again feels someone strong grab him from behind. After strongly wrapping his arms around Cloud's chest for a second attempt, Zack manages to finally pull him off of the man. While pulling Cloud off of the drunk, Zack sees Cloud deliver a last blow by roughly kicking the drunk man in the leg.

"Calm down, man! He's not worth it!" Zack commands as he looks at Cloud in somewhat disbelief. Zack doesn't blame Cloud for beating up the guy. If someone would've hit Aerith like that, he knows that he would've done the same thing. He's just not use to seeing Cloud getting into fist fights.

"He hit Tifa!" Cloud shouts in a loud angry voice, directing his anger at the drunk.

The drunk man grunts in pain as he slowly begins to climb to his feet. He lets out a low angry growl when he notices the crimson blood streaming down his face. After staggering to his feet, he looks at Zack and Cloud. The drunk notices that Zack and Cloud's eyes glow an unnatural bright blue, he angrily glares at them as he yells, "You freaks!" The drunk man then staggers out of the bar and leaves.

"Damn, that guy is a real asshole," Zack says as he watches the man leave. "Sheesh, Cloud. You know that guy should be thankful that I was here to pull you off of him, because if I wasn't then well, you probably would've killed him," Zack says as he rests his arm around Cloud's shoulders. When he looks at Cloud, he can't help but feel concerned, so he decides to ask, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Cloud nods.

Zack smiles as he says, "Man, you really kicked his ass."

Not long after Cloud looks down and notices that his gloves have blood on them, Tifa walks over to them and hands Cloud a wet wash rag to wipe his gloved hands off with. Cloud takes the wet rag and looks up at Tifa, noticing that the side of her face is red from where the drunk man hit her. He feels deeply concerned as he asks, "You okay?"

Tifa smiles at him. "Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'll always be alright as long as I have my blonde knight in shining armor with me," Tifa kindly says. After saying that, she can't help but smile after noticing Cloud slightly blush as he continues wiping off his gloves.

A few minutes later, a large muscular man walks in with a young girl. "Yo, Tifa," is his simple greeting as he walks past Zack and Cloud, who he thinks are just customers.

Tifa looks up at him. "Barret, this is Zack and Cloud. They're going to help us."

Barret then looks at Zack and Cloud. After noticing their uniforms, he furrows his eyebrows before looking at Tifa. "No, no way. They're with SOLDIER. They can't be trusted," he replies in a deep voice.

"It's okay, Barret. They don't work for Shin-Ra anymore. They're a couple of friends of mine. We can trust them, really," Tifa tells him, trying to convince him.

"I don't know. Sometimes when you think you can trust someone, they jus' stab you in the back," he answers as he glares at the two young men standing next to him.

"They both saved my life a while back. I've known them for a long time. I trust them, besides we need them," she explains.

After hearing Tifa's words Cloud suddenly feels curious, so he asks, "Need us for what?"

Tifa looks over at him. "We're going to blow up a mako reactor at Shin-Ra's headquarters."

Marlene looks up at the two young men. She can't help but feel completely amazed at how tall they are. Her eyes widen as she quietly says in a shy voice, "Wow, you guys are really tall."

Zack and Cloud look down at her and smile, trying their best to not look so intimidating with them each carrying a huge sword on their backs.

"Well, I'm staying here to watch over Marlene. The three of you are going with Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs. When you all get back, we'll pay you two," Tifa says as she looks over at Zack and Cloud.

* * *

After meeting Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs, the group quickly makes their way to the mako reactor. "Come on, newcomers! Hurry it up!" Barret orders as Zack and Cloud leap off of the roof of the train.

"Hey! Stop right there! Both of you!" an infantryman shouts as they both race up to Zack and Cloud.

They unsheathe their swords before Zack glances at Cloud and reminds him, "Remember what I taught you."

Cloud nods in response before he leaps up to the infantryman and swipes him with his sword after the infantrymen aim their weapons at them. The infantryman cries out before he crumples to the ground. When the other infantryman opens fire, the two young men quickly roll out of the way before Zack charges at him and takes him down with the Buster Sword. After the short battle, they quickly rejoin the others.

While they're waiting for Jessie to get the door open, Biggs turns to Zack and Cloud. "So, I didn't catch your names."

"Zack."

"Cloud."

"My name is Biggs."

Barret suddenly runs up to them and says, "Hey! What the hell are ya'll doin? I told ya'll to never move in a group!"

Zack and Cloud personally doesn't understand why Barret seems frustrated with them because there's only one door and the area is also kind of small.

Barret decides to remind everyone, "Well, our target is the north mako reactor. Meet up on the bridge."

The door suddenly slides open and Jessie informs them, "Code deciphered."

Everyone aside from Barret, Zack, and Cloud run into the next room before Barret suddenly turns to them. "Ex-SOLDIER huh? Well, I don't trust ya."

Zack raises an eyebrow before he says, "Well, you knew that before you hired us."

Barret glares at Zack. "Shut it, Spiky One!"

Since Cloud's still accustomed to knowing Zack as his commanding officer, his words seems like an automatic reflex as he glares at Barret and says, "Hey, you can't talk to him like that."

Barret focuses his glare on Cloud as he replies, "You two work for me now. So, you'll take orders from me. Ya gotta get that through your thick skull, Spiky Two!"

The two young men stare at Barret for a few seconds before Zack suddenly bursts out laughing when he realizes the nicknames that Barret just gave them. Not long after Zack bursts out laughing, Cloud finds himself laughing as well.

Barret on the other hand, remains serious as he continues glaring at them. "The hell's so funny?" Zack and Cloud continue laughing until Barret orders, "Get your skinny asses in there!"

They both comply and walk past Barret as Zack tells Cloud, "Come on, Spiky Two. Let's go."

Cloud softly chuckles and replies, "Right behind ya, Spiky One, sir."

Barret follows behind them and rolls his eyes as he mumbles under his breath, "Damn spiky haired duo."

Due to Zack and Cloud having enhanced hearing, they suddenly start laughing again after hearing what Barret said. Zack looks at Cloud and jokes in a cheerful tone, "Hey, that's what we can call our business!"

"Will you two get serious already?!" Barret tells them in frustration.

While Jessie works on getting the code deciphered to get the second door open, Barret looks at Zack and Cloud. "So, is this your first time in a mako reactor?"

Cloud sighs and answers, "We've been in these places before."

Zack leans up against the wall before he tells him, "We did used to work for Shin-Ra after all."

Barret crosses his arms after hearing their answer and says, "Right. Well, people use mako energy everyday. Mako is the life blood of the planet and Shin-Ra's usin' these things to drain the planet of mako. If we don't stop 'em, the planet will die."

"Code deciphered," Jessie informs them when she gets the door open.

After taking down several robots and infantrymen, they finally make it to their destination. Barret looks at Cloud and orders, "You set the bomb."

Before Cloud gets a chance to say anything, Zack asks Barret, "Shouldn't you do it?"

"I gotta make sure that ya'll don't pull nothin'!"

Cloud sighs and rolls his eyes before he sets the bomb. Zack and Cloud look around when they suddenly hear what sounds like an alarm going off. Barret crosses his arms and tells them in a calm tone, "Here they come."

The three men quickly prepare for a fight when a large scorpion mech appears. After a flurry of several sword slashes, materia attacks, and bullet holes, the robot is finally destroyed.

Barret looks at Zack and Cloud and says, "We got ten minutes. Come on, lets go!"

They quickly retrace their steps to leave. When they make it to one of the metal mesh bridges, Jessie looks up at them. "Cloud? My foot's stuck."

Cloud quickly makes his way to her and pulls her foot out of the hole. "Are you okay?"

She smiles at him as she answers, "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, Cloud."

The group quickly make their way out of the area just before the bomb explodes. After the group finds themselves trapped in a small area, Jessie sets a small bomb to blow the wall so that they can get out of the building. Biggs says, "That should keep the planet going...at least a little longer."

Wedge nods his head and agrees, "Yeah."

Once the bomb's set in place, Jessie quickly jumps up and runs to the back of the area to join the others as she says, "Okay! Now everyone get back!" Once the bomb explodes and creates their way out, the group suddenly leaps out of the building as it gets engulfed in flames. "Alright!" Barret yells, "Let's get out of here! Rendezvous at the Sector 8 Station! Lets split up and get on the train!" They quickly go their separate ways for now.

Cloud decides to cut through Loveless Avenue and get to the train station from there. He continues wondering around on the streets trying to find his way to the train to meet up with Zack and the rest of the group. It doesn't take him long at all before he comes across a young woman in a long pink dress who's selling flowers. He tilts his head ever so slightly as he looks at her. 'She looks familiar but..' he thinks to himself.

She walks over to Cloud. "Excuse me sir, would you like to buy a flower? They're only one gil each," she kindly says.

Wanting to be kind to the woman, Cloud decides to buy a flower for Tifa. "Yeah, sure. I'll take one." Cloud smiles as he hands her the money.

"Thank you, here you go sir." She smiles as she gives him a flower.

"Thank you, ma'am," he says as he takes the flower before the young woman leaves.

Not long after he leaves to continue his way to the train station, he is ambushed and surrounded by several Shin-Ra infantrymen. "Hey you! Stop right there!" one of them orders as they race up to Cloud.

He quickly dispatches them and attempts to run down one of the roads. However, several more infantrymen stop him in his tracks as they race towards him. He quickly turns around and attempts to go the other way. He sighs in annoyance when he finds himself completely surrounded. "Look, I don't have time for this."

"Get him!" the infantrymen shouts as they run towards him. A faint smirk appears on Cloud's face just before he runs to the bridge and leaps onto a passing train. A few seconds later, he opens a door to one of the sidecars and quickly leaps inside where he is greeted by Zack and the rest of the group.

"Cloud! Man, you had me worried. Glad you made it, buddy," Zack says with a relieved smile as he jumps up from his seat and walks over to Cloud and wraps his arms around him for a quick hug. He feels deeply relieved that his younger best friend is okay.

Barret on the other hand, doesn't look as happy. "What's your problem? Just waltzin' in here, makin' a scene. You had us all worried!" Barret yells in a frustrated tone.

Cloud looks over at him with a calm look on his face. "Hmm, you were worried about me," he replies.

Zack can't help but smile at Cloud's slight smart-alec remark.

Barret glares at him. "Spiky Two, you don't care 'bout nobody but yourself!" Barret angrilly yells.

"It's no big deal, just what I do," Cloud answers in his usual calm tone before shrugging his shoulders.

In an attempt to end the argument, Zack decides to speak up. "Hey listen guys, please just calm down alright? Remember, we're a team," Zack tells them.

Barret gives Zack a glare, then returns his glare over to Cloud. "You're lucky that Spiky One is here, Spiky Two," Barret says as he reluctantly decides to back off and stop arguing.

Once they get off the train a little while later, Barret makes a small speech, "This mission was a success. But don't get lazy now! The hard part's still to come! Meet back at the hideout! Move out!" Barret along with Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie run ahead to go to their headquarters.

As they begin to make their way to Seventh Heaven, Zack looks at Cloud and tells him, "Sheesh, why doesn't he yell a little louder? I don't think that they heard him in Wutai."

"They might have. I mean, he does yell pretty loud," Cloud replies.

Zack smiles as he says, "I wouldn't doubt that any." He pats Cloud on the back and when he notices that Cloud has a flower and he's spinning it between his fingers, he asks, "Where did you get that at?"

Cloud continues staring at the flower in his hand. "A girl in a long pink dress sold it to me."

A big smile appears on Zack's face because there's only one person in Midgar who sells flowers that he knows of. "Aerith!" he excitingly says. "Did she tell you her name?"

Aerith...That name sounds so familiar to him. "No, she didn't."

A big smile appears on Zack's face because he knows that the young woman that Cloud encountered had to be Aerith. He really can't wait to see her. He asks, "So, are you excited to see Tifa?"

Cloud suddenly feels nervous and his face turns a little red. "Um, no! I mean..yeah, but I..um.."

Zack can't help but softly chuckle at his friend's words. "Relax, buddy. I was just kidding."

The former infantryman takes a deep breath in response before he finds himself watching the cracked pavement as they walk.

Zack can tell that something's bothering his friend, so he decides to ask him, "Are you okay?"

Cloud feels guilty at how him and Zack helped blow up a reactor. "What if innocent people got hurt? Did we do the right thing, Zack?"

A deep breath leaves Zack as he thinks about Cloud's question. He knows that he does have a very good point. Innocent people could have gotten hurt quite easily in that explosion. He finds himself remembering when he first met Director Lazard seven years ago when he was a SOLDIER 2nd Class. _'So Zack, what is your dream? To become First, is it?' Zack turned around and placed his hands on his hips as he replied, 'No..To become a hero!' _Heroes don't hurt innocent people, they help them. "I know that it's something that we probably shouldn't be too proud of. But we're mercenaries now and they did hire us. I don't think that any innocent civilians was hurt..So, that's the important thing."

"...I guess you're right."

Zack gives him a reassuring smile and playfully ruffles his hair to help cheer his friend up some.

* * *

They soon make it to Seventh Heaven and after walking into the bar, Cloud shyly walks over to Tifa and gives her the flower that he bought earlier. She gives him a small smile and says, "For me? Aww Cloud, you're so sweet." She can't help but blush when Cloud hands her the little white flower. "Thank you," she tells him as she puts the flower in a vase that's half-way filled with some water.

Cloud quickly sits down on the table when Barret suddenly charges inside. "Get in here! We're startin' the meeting!" He walks over to the pinball machine and presses a button to reveal that it's actually an elevator. Barret, Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs go down to the meeting room.

While Zack walked towards the elevator, Tifa faintly smiled at Cloud and says, "Sit down, Cloud." Cloud immediately does as she says before she asks him, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No. I should be going." He gets up and him and Zack go down to the meeting room.

After punching an old punching bag, Barret looks at Zack. "Yo, Zack! Was there anyone in SOLDIER fighting us today?"

"No. SOLDIER members usually don't patrol the mako reactors."

"Ya sound so sure."

Zack shrugs in response before he adds, "If there was anyone from SOLDIER you wouldn't be standing here right now."

Barret glares at him and yells, "Don't ya go thinkin' you so bad jes' because you was in SOLDIER!" He steps forward waving his gun arm and Biggs immediately tries to hold him back. However, Barret quickly pushes him away and knocks him down.

Zack holds his hands up and tells him, "That's not what I.."

Barret calms down a bit before he interrupts him, "Yeah, you're strong. Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are. But don't forget that your skinny ass's workin' for AVALANCHE now! Don't get any ideas about hangin' on to Shin-Ra!"

Zack narrows his eyes in frustration. "What? Staying with Shin-Ra?"

Cloud steps forward in defense of his older best friend. "You asked him a question and he answered it! That's all!" He can't help but think that maybe this whole mercenary business was a bad idea. He begins to storm towards the elevator but stops in his tracks when he sees Tifa standing in front of him.

"Wait Cloud!" Tifa cries out. She has hope that they can save the planet..but not without Zack and Cloud's help.

"Tifa! Let him go!" Barret growls, "Looks like he still misses Shin-Ra!"

Cloud turns around to glare at Barret. "Shut up! I don't care about Shin-Ra or SOLDIER! But don't get me wrong, I don't care about AVALANCHE either for that matter!"

When Cloud turns to leave, Zack decides that it's time for him to step in. "Cloud, wait." When Cloud obeys his former commanding officer, Zack turns to Barret. "We have no loyalty at all towards Shin-Ra anymore."

Barret glares at him and asks as he crosses his arms, "And why's that?"

Zack takes a deep breath as he explains, "They tried to kill us..a lot of times." He swallows hard as he briefly remembers the lab before he continues, "They..They did things to us that I can never forgive them for."

Tifa takes a couple of steps forward. "It's true, Barret. They probably have as much resentment towards them as we do."

Since Barret knows that Tifa wouldn't lie to him, he finally relaxes and says, "Alright."

Zack turns to Cloud and manages a smile as he asks, "So, are you going to stay?"

Cloud looks at his older best friend and answers, "I'll go along with whatever you do."

The former SOLDIER asks, "So..that's a yeah?"

The former infantryman nods in response. "Yes."

Zack gives his younger best friend a big smile in response before he jokes, "Well, that's a good answer because I won't stay if you won't." He softly chuckles before he continues, "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

* * *

The next morning, Barret decides to have them help him with another mission. While going on a second mission which is pretty much the same as the first, not long after they infiltrate the mako reactor, Zack, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa are surprised to see several Shin-Ra infantrymen appear before them while they're trying to leave.

Cloud slightly narrows his eyes as he says in a calm tone, "A trap..." Him and Zack rest their hands on the handles of their swords because chances are, they'll probably have a fight on their hands soon.

'Things can't get any worse,' Tifa thinks to herself.

Barret's jaw drops when he sees President Shin-Ra emerge from a room and stands on the bridge in front of them. "Presi...President Shin-Ra?"

"What's the president doing here?" Tifa asks as she remains in her fighting stance.

The Shin-Ra President only looks at them and grins. "Hmmm...So you all must be that..What was it?"

Barret delivers him a ferocious glare. "AVALANCHE! And don't ya forget it! And you're President Shin-Ra, huh?!"

Zack keeps his bright blue mako eyes locked on President Shin-Ra. He can't help but feel resentment towards the man because he's the one who barked out the orders to have him and Cloud hunted down like animals. Of course, Hojo probably had a big say in that as well. He glares at him and smirks as he decides to say, "Long time no see," his voice sounds a little harsh when he adds, "President."

The older guy looks at Zack after he hears his statement. "Hmm? Oh yes, I remember hearing something about a SOLDIER who betrayed Shin-Ra. You must be him from the look in your eyes. So, tell me traitor, what was your name?"

"Zack."

"Oh, well forgive me for asking. I can't be expected to remember each person's name. Unless you become another Sephiroth. Yes, Sephiroth...He was brilliant...Perhaps too brilliant."

Cloud's voice sounds distant and he looks down at the floor as he says, "Sephiroth...?"

Barret glares at President Shin-Ra. "Don't give a damn 'bout any of that! This place is goin' up with a big bang soon! Serves ya'll right!"

President Shin-Ra gives them a cold smile and replies, "And such a waste of good fireworks, just to get rid of vermin like yourselves..."

Barret's glare suddenly intensifies. "Vermin! You're the king of vermin!"

Due to the fact that this place is set to blow soon, Zack decides to finally remind everyone, "Hey! Shouldn't we cut this a little short so that we can get out of here?"

The president sighs and says, "You're beginning to bore me. I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me...I have a dinner that I must attend to."

"Dinner! Don't give me that! I ain't even started with ya yet!" Barret rants.

A helicopter suddenly comes into view and hovers above President Shin-Ra as he taunts, "But I made some arrangements for a playmate for all of you." The infantrymen suddenly leave before a robot comes into view. "Meet 'Airbuster', a techno-SOLDIER. Our weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure that the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of a great use to us in future experiments."

Zack tilts his head slightly as he thinks, 'What? A techno-SOLDIER..? How could they replace SOLDIER members with this rust bucket?' A puzzled look finds its way on his face. "Techno-SOLDIER?" A lot of things really has changed while him and Cloud were away for five years.

The Shin-Ra President gets into the helicopter and tells them, "Now if you'll excuse me."

Barret has his eyes locked on the 'Airbuster' as he shouts, "Yo! We gotta do somethin' about him!"

Tifa, Barret, and Cloud back away as the machine advances towards them. "Cloud, this is from SOLDIER?" Tifa asks as they continue backing away.

Cloud isn't sure what to say..these things wasn't from SOLDIER when he worked for Shin-Ra five years ago. They had people as SOLDIER members back then, not machines.

"No way!" Zack answers in disbelief.

"It's just a machine," Cloud adds.

The robot suddenly attacks them. Barret shoots it with his gun-hand before Zack and Cloud leap towards it and slashes it several times with their swords while Tifa joins in and unleashes several martial arts moves. After killing the robot, the bridge that they're on suddenly explodes and partially collapses, creating a gaping hole. Barret and Tifa are safe and are standing on the same side as the exit. Zack and Cloud on the other hand, isn't as lucky. They're both hanging on to the bridge, a huge drop-off underneath them. The side that Cloud is hanging onto is on the same side as Barret and Tifa, who quickly help pull him up. However, Zack is on the other side of the bridge hanging on.

"Zack!" Tifa loudly says with a concerned look on her face.

"Just go!" Zack orders. Judging by his location, he soon remembers that he should land in a certain church.

Cloud turns around after hearing his friends. He immediately swallows hard when he notices Zack's current situation.

The former SOLDIER knows where he'll be after his fall...he has done this before after all. "Listen, I'll be in an abandoned church in the Sector 5 Slums. Meet me there. Now go," he informs them as he also orders them to leave.

"Zack, hold on. I'm coming," Cloud says as he prepares to leap across to help him. However, before he gets a chance to even act, the floors violently begins to shake which forces Cloud to fall on all fours. His eyes immediately widen in terror when he witnesses his best friend fall. "No, Zack!" Cloud yells, reaching his hand towards his falling friend. His eyes still wide in disbelief and terror.

"We've gotta go!" Barret yells while their surroundings continue shaking around them.

"No! I'm not leaving without my friend!" Cloud yells as he remains on all fours where Zack fell at.

"Cloud, we need to go," Tifa says in a comforting tone as she gently places her hand on his shoulder.

Cloud knows that they're right, but he's still being stubborn. He refuses to leave because he'll feel like he's abandoning his older best friend. Zack has never abandoned him, even in his darkest times.

"We don't have time for this! He said that he'll be in a church," Barret states. "Come on, runt. You heard the man," Barret says, referring to what Zack told them before he fell. He walks over and tries to pick Cloud up to carry him out over his shoulder so that they can leave before the place blows up. However, Cloud easily gets out of his grip almost instantly. "Damn, you're a lot stronger than you look," Barret tells him. He is slightly surprised at how incredibly strong the blonde is because Cloud's quite a bit smaller than him.

Angry at the situation, Cloud glares at him. "Let's just get to that church," the blonde orders.

"Hey, I'm still the leader. Not you, Spiky Two. I'm gonna go and check on Marlene. The two of you can go to the church," Barret orders as they leave the mako reactor.

* * *

Meanwhile in an abandoned church, a young flower girl in a long pink dress is tending to her flowers. Suddenly, a young man comes crashing through the roof of the church, causing her to jump up because the sudden crash landing startles her. Curious, she walks over to the unconscious man. It doesn't take her long at all to notice the man's familiar spiky black hair along with the rest of his features. Her eyes instantly begins to tear up after she realizes who this young man is. She places her hand over her mouth, shocked at the young man's identity. She instantly recognizes him as her boyfriend that she hasn't seen in the past five years.

"Zack!" she cries out before running over to him. She sits down next to him and gently places his head on her lap and wraps her arms around him.

"Heaven?" Zack softly asks as he starts to wake up.

She continues looking down at him and smiles.

Through blurry vision, Zack looks up at the young woman. "An angel?"

The young woman can't help but giggle because she's just so incredibly happy to see him and this whole scene is mirroring the first time that they met. "Oh Zack, you haven't changed."

Recognizing the voice, Zack's eyes shoot open as he instantly wakes up the rest of the way. "Aerith!" he cheerfully says with a big smile on his face.

After he sits up, they both tightly wrap their arms around each other for a loving embrace.

"Zack, I was starting to think that I would never see you again," Aerith reveals as she begins to shed tears of joy.

Noticing that she's crying, Zack says, "It's alright, I'm here. I promise that I'll never leave you again. I love you, Aerith." Holding her in his arms was something that he's dreamed about for the past five years, his heart no longer ached. He feels as if he's now complete.

"I love you too, Zack," Aerith replies.

"I told you that I'd come back to see you," Zack reminds her as he softly laughs.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean for you to fall from the sky again." Her eyes meet his before she asks, "What happened to you? Why did it take you so long to come back?"

Zack's expression saddens some as he looks down at the wooden floor before telling her, "It's a long story."

"Please, tell me."

The former SOLDIER really doesn't like to talk about what him and his younger friend was forced to endure. But he believes that she does have the right to know. So Zack tells her everything, about what happened in Nibelhiem, him and Cloud being experimented on for four years by a mad scientist who works for Shin-Ra, their escape and being on the run from Shin-Ra, on up to their present reunion.

* * *

After a couple of hours of asking around for the directions to the church. Cloud and Tifa finally find it. They quickly walk in to see if Zack is okay. Once they open the doors and walk in, they see Zack and a young woman in a pink dress kissing and hugging while standing beside a large garden of flowers at the front of the church. They're both relieved that Zack is okay.

Cloud quietly says to Tifa, "I'm glad to see that he's obviously doing very good, but they've been kissing for a while now. Perhaps they should let each other breathe."

Tifa quietly responds, "Shh, Cloud don't be rude."

Cloud looks at her. "I'm not, I'm just saying."

Zack finally notices Cloud and Tifa standing in front of the door. "Come here, I want you to meet someone," Zack tells them.

Zack can't help but give them both a cheerful smile while Tifa and Cloud walk up towards him and Aerith.

"Aerith, this is Cloud and Tifa. They're good friends of mine. Cloud and Tifa, this is my beautiful girlfriend, Aerith," Zack says in a cheerful voice with a big smile on his face as he introduces them to each other.

They all exchange friendly smiles and handshakes. Cloud soon recognizes Aerith as the same woman who sold him the flower earlier. He also remembers Zack talking a lot about his girlfriend in Midgar and telling him stories about him and Aerith while they were both on the run from Shin-Ra. 'So that's why she looked familiar,' Cloud thinks to himself when he remembers Zack showing him a picture of him and Aerith together when they used to work for Shin-Ra.

"Well, we should be heading back," Tifa says with a small smile. The four of them turns to leave.

**Alright, chapter 5. I hope that you guys liked this chapter, as well as the previous four chapters. Both of the scenes with Aerith were also Sapphire Wind's idea,** **so**** the credit for both of those scenes goes to Sapphire Wind. I hope that I did a good job typing up those two scenes. Sapphire Wind, I once again thank you for your ideas, and with those Aerith scenes, if there's anything that you think I should change around, please feel free to let me know and I will, okay? I promise that I don't mind. Please comment/review to let me know what you all think about this chapter. I don't mind if it's positive, negative, or a writing tip. I did have fun writing this, especially the fight scene between Cloud and the drunk man. We all know that Tifa does an extremely good job at defending herself, but I wanted to have Cloud to be very protective of her, like he always is, haha. Anyways, please tell me what you guys think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing...except for Zyloff and Mikhail.**

**Hello everyone. I know it's been so long since I've worked on this story. After running out of ideas after chapter 5, I actually called it quits. But this story is back now. I've gotten some very good ideas from Tayashia. Thank you so much Tayashia for your help. I really appreciate it. The idea of bringing in the Turks and having them go after Zack and Cloud was Tayashia's idea. It was also Tayashia's idea to bring in a new character, so I decided on bringing Zyloff back. Zyloff is a character that I made up who helped Zack and Cloud in a scene in chapter 4 of my story 'On the Run for Freedom', which is meant to be a prequel to this story. One more thing that I wanted to tell you all too is that I did decide to make another made up character. I decided to make this new character who's name is Mikhail and he's Zyloff's adopted son because I wanted to bring Zyloff back, but I also wanted to show a more fatherly like side to him. Of course the main characters are the main focus and I promise that my two made up characters won't hog up the spotlight. Zack and Cloud as well as the rest of the original FF7 characters that's involved right now are the main focus. Zyloff and Mikhail's story will be revealed in the next chapter just because they need a backstory as well as a reason to hate Shin-Ra. There's a few cuss words in here too by the way. Just to warn everyone. I'm also still thinking up different scenes and such for future chapters, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to have an updating schedule. Chapter updates will probably vary. So please be patient. Anyways, please feel free to leave a review and please enjoy the chapter.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 6**

"Long time no see, slick."

Zack immediately turns around when he hears that familiar sounding voice. He knows right away who it is. "Reno," Zack says as he turns around to see Reno leaning up against the outside wall of the church with Rude standing beside him.

The young red haired Turk grins at him in response as he says, "The one and only."

A small sigh escapes from Zack's lips before he asks, "What do you want?"

Reno casually crosses his arms and continues grinning as he answers, "A million gil sounds pretty good."

Rude furrows his eyes which remain hidden behind his dark sunglasses while he says in a deep and serious voice, "We're here to apprehend you, Fair. Along with Strife and the Ancient."

Zack, Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa glance at each other before glaring back at the two Turks. Aerith tightens her grip around Zack's arm just before her SOLDIER steps in front of them and furrows his eyes as he replies in a defensive tone, "We're not going anywhere with you."

Reno stops leaning up against the wall and stands up straight. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," Cloud answers as he takes a few steps forward and stands beside his best friend.

Reno and Rude turn their heads and glance at each other before they look back at them. Rude adjusts his sunglasses some just before he adds, "Tseng said that you would say that. He also said that in respect of your past friendship, he'll pretend like he has no idea that you two are even here or alive."

Reno uncrosses his arms and informs them, "But there's a catch. Tseng can only do that if you hand over your pretty little girlfriend there." His eyes wondered past Zack at the last part of his statement.

Zack and Cloud realize who Reno is looking at and referring to as they follow his gaze and look behind them. Cloud's eyes widen in concern. He remembers Zack talking to him about his girlfriend, Aerith, several times throughout their long journey to Midgar. Therefore he understands just how deeply important Aerith is to Zack. Like how deeply important Tifa is to him. "No," Cloud answers as he glares at them.

Zack immediately replies after Cloud's answer as he furrows his eyes, "Aerith isn't going anywhere and the rest of us aren't either."

Reno sighs as he hangs his head before he tells Zack and Cloud, "Come on, guys. I really don't feel like doing this the hard way."

Rude continues glaring at them from behind his dark sunglasses and says, "It's either you three or just the Ancient. Which is it?"

"Reno! Rude!" Everyone turns their head to see Cissnei jogging towards the two older Turks. "There are reports of monsters above the plate," she informs.

"Yo, seriously?" Reno asks as he looks at her.

"Yes. There's several sightings and reports and I've been dispatched to come and find both of you to help immediately," she explains.

"Did you see the monsters?" Rude asks in his usual serious tone.

Cissnei gives him a serious look as she looks at him to meet his eyes and answers, "No."

Rude starts to walk away and tells Reno, "Let's go."

Reno looks at Rude as he asks, "But what about them?"

Rude turns and looks at Zack, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith for a few seconds before he answers, "If we have to, we'll find them again." He adjusts his sunglasses as he begins to walk away again.

Reno looks at them and says, "You're lucky." He begins to follow his best friend as he turns to leave.

Once Reno and Rude are several feet away and aren't looking, Cissnei turns to Zack and faintly smiles as she winks at him just before she begins to follow the other two Turks. Zack can't help but smile back because now he understands what Cissnei just did. She has set up a good lie to help get them out of the situation. There's been a few times when him and Cloud were on the run when Zack couldn't help but question his and Cissnei's friendship. He feels good on the inside to know that Cissnei is still his friend and is still willing to help him. Once the Turks are out of sight, Zack takes a deep breath before he turns to the group and says, "That was close."

"Yeah it was," Cloud agrees.

"We should probably get back to the Seventh Heaven before they come back," Tifa suggests.

Aerith stands close to Zack and says, "That sounds like a good idea." She remembers what Zack told her about what him and Cloud has been through for the past five years before she adds, "I really don't want to know what they'll do if they catch us."

Zack gently squeezes Cloud's shoulder when he notices him shuddering when he hears Aerith's words because he remembers the lab and everything that's happened to him and Zack. Cloud looks up at him as Zack asks, "Are you okay?"

Cloud nods as he answers, "Yeah."

Zack gives his younger best friend a small smile before he orders, "Alright. We need to look around every so often on our way back to make sure that no one's following us."

"Okay, Zack," the ex-infantryman answers.

* * *

They make it back safely to the Seventh Heaven in Sector Seven about an hour later. Once they walk inside Seventh Heaven, Barrett quickly walks up to them and asks, "What took you all so long? I was 'bout to send out a search party."

"Sorry Barrett. We tried to hurry but we got a little..held up," Tifa informs him.

Barrett immediately catches on to what the young woman is trying to tell him. However, they can't talk about it while the customers are in here so Barrett quickly orders in a loud voice, "We're closed now! Everyone get out!"

All of the customers quickly leave except for one man who is sitting at one of the wooden tables. "But I'm not done drinking my uh..drink yet," he says with slurred speech.

Barrett furrows his eyes in annoyance as he tells him, "Then take it with ya."

The man stumbles to his feet and holds up his partially filled glass as he staggers towards the door while he drunkenly asks, "What about the cup?"

"Yer here everyday so just bring it back tomorrow," Barrett replies, getting more annoyed.

"But I..." the drunk man gets interrupted when Barrett pushes him out the door.

"Just leave!" He closes the door and looks at the AVALANCHE group before he says, "Damn, I thought he'd never leave." He sighs before ordering, "Okay everyone, it's time for a meeting." Once they all get down into the secret meeting room which can only be accessed by pressing a button that's on the side of the pinball machine, they begin their meeting. Barrett looks at Tifa and asks her, "Okay, now what happened?"

"After we found Zack, we met Aerith, his girlfriend. When we went outside to leave the church, the Turks were there and they wanted to take Zack, Cloud, and Aerith," she explains.

"Whoa! The Turks? You all wasn't followed now were you?" Barrett asks in surprise.

"No, we were careful," she answers.

Barrett feels relieved when he heard her answer. However, that feeling immediately fades away when the elevator suddenly comes down to reveal two men who are entirely unfamiliar to Barrett. One of the men looks like he's an older teenager with short light blonde hair and light ice blue eyes who's wearing a dark green t-shirt, blue jeans, and black hiking boots. The other man looks like he's in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair and blue eyes who's wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and grey hiking boots. Barrett quickly aims his gun hand at them and demands in a loud voice, "Who in the hell are you and how did you find this place?!"

Zack immediately recognizes the men and his eyes widen in surprise. "Zyloff!"

Zyloff looks at Zack and smiles at him. "Chris!"

Zack can't help but feel confused as he thinks, 'What? Chris?' He soon remembers their meeting back when him and Cloud was on the run from Shin-Ra. He also remembers an important little detail. When Zyloff asked him for his and Cloud's names, Zack told him that his name is 'Chris' and Cloud's name is 'Michael'. He didn't want to lie to him because he seemed like a nice guy, but he just couldn't afford to take the chance of telling him their real names at that time.

Barrett continues glaring at Zyloff and his companion and continues aiming his gun hand at them as he asks, "Who in the hell is Chris?"

Before the situation has anymore chances to get awkward, Zack decides to explain to Barrett, "It's a long story. When me and Cloud were running from Shin-Ra, we were attacked by a lot of Shin-Ra troops and these guys came and helped us. After that I told him that my name's 'Chris' and Cloud's name is 'Michael'."

Barrett delivers Zack a quick glare and says, "Okay, whatever." He glares at Zyloff and his companion again before he adds, "They're not suppose to be down here."

Zack looks at Barrett and informs him, "They're from the Bahamut Dragons and they're also an anti-Shin-Ra group."

"Oh, you mean that wannabe AVALANCHE group?" Barrett asks.

Zyloff's companion speaks up as he places his hands on his hips and replies, "Hey? Who are you calling 'wannabe'?"

Barrett doesn't answer the teenage boy's question and asks, "How did you two know about this room?"

Zyloff calmly looks at Barrett and explains, "We just came in here for something to eat. There was no one up there though so we started playing that pinball machine. We only pushed a few buttons and the next thing that we knew it took us down here."

Barrett looks over at Tifa and tells her, "We really need to git one of them 'Closed' signs one of these days." He looks back at Zyloff and his companion and finally lowers his weapon as he says, "Well..if you fight against Shin-Ra too.." He lets out a sigh before he hesitantly forces out the words, "I guess you can join us." The two newcomers smile just before Barrett tells them, "But I'll be keepin' my eyes on ya, so don't do any funny business."

Zyloff and his companion walk towards Zack and Cloud since they somewhat know them as Zyloff answers Barrett, "We won't." Zyloff introduces himself to everyone except of course to Zack and Cloud , "I'm Zyloff. I'm the leader of The Bahamut Dragons." He gently places his hand on his companion's shoulder and says, "And this is my son, Mikhail. He's my second in command."

"Well, I should probably tell you that my name is Zack and his name's Cloud. Sorry that I lied to you, I..."

Zyloff interrupts him as he replies, "That's okay. You boys had a good reason to not be honest. I would've done the same thing if I was in your position."

"Hey, what happened to your guys' vests that you wore?" Zack asks when he notices that Zyloff and Mikhail aren't wearing their 'Bahamut Dragons' vests that they had on during their first meeting.

"Oh, we left those in the truck because with it having our anti-Shin-Ra group name on them, they were way to obvious," Zyloff answers.

Zack asks, "Where's the rest of your men at?"

Before Zyloff gets a chance to answer, Mikhail blurts out, "They stayed in Cosmo Canyon."

Zyloff smiles and explains to them, "I wanted to make sure that you boys got here okay. So, I left one of my best men in charge of the group while we came here."

When they're finished talking to Zack and Cloud, Tifa smiles as she shakes their hands. "Hi. I'm Tifa."

"I'm Aerith," Aerith introduces herself with a gentle smile.

Mikhail's eyes suddenly widen in fascination when he sees Barrett's gun hand transform to where it looks like a mechanical hand. "Whoa..That is so awesome!" He quickly walks over to Barrett and tells him in an excited and cheerful tone, "That has got to be the coolest thing that I've ever seen. Where did you get that at? Can I have one? How does it work? Does it fit over your real hand?" He smiles up at Barrett like an excited young kid who's eagerly waiting for the answers to everything.

Barrett just blinks a few times as he stares down at him before he answers each of the boy's questions, "It's custom made. No. It's mechanical. No, this is my new hand."

"Oh.." Mikhail briefly looks down before he eagerly looks back up at him with a big smile again and exclaims, "Oh, Zyloff's got something that's kinda like that!" The seventeen year old looks over at Zyloff and says to him, "Hey pops? You should show them that really cool glove thing that you have."

Zyloff can't help but softly chuckle at his adopted son's enthusiasm before he corrects him, "Actually, it's a gauntlet and it's called a chain blade gauntlet."

"Yeah that," he replies.

Zyloff looks at Barrett as he asks, "Sir? You don't mind if I show it to you guys, do you?"

"Sure."

Zyloff raises his left arm to reveal a black armored gauntlet that's concealing his forearm and most of his hand. He explains, "When I aim this, a blade that's attached to a chain at the end of that blade shoots out and it impales the enemy. After I hit the target, the chain pulls the blade back into the gauntlet."

"That is neat," Cloud calmly replies.

"That's awesome," Zack replies with more enthusiasm than his friend.

Suddenly without warning, the elevator begins to come back down again. Barrett lets out an annoyed sigh before he says, "Who is it now?" His hand transforms into a gun hand as he aims it towards the elevator. Everyone has their eyes fixed towards the elevator. The elevator finally lowers all the way to reveal a young man in a SOLDIER 2nd Class uniform with a steel helmet on that hides half of his face.

Zack and Cloud instantly recognizes him as their eyes widen in surprise. A big smile finds its way on Zack's face as he cheerfully calls out, "Kunsel!"

Barrett lets out a frustrated sigh before he turns to Zack and Cloud and asks them, "You two know him too?"

Zack looks over at Barrett and answers, "Yeah, he's our friend. We've known him for a long time."

Despite Barrett aiming his gun hand at him, Kunsel walks up to Zack and Cloud and says, "Hey guys." He pats them both on the shoulder as he tells his friends in a voice filled with relief, "I'm glad to see that you both made it safely."

Cloud gives Kunsel a small smile in response before he asks, "You still work for Shin-Ra?"

Kunsel looks at Cloud and answers, "No. I just quit."

Barrett glares at Kunsel while he continues aiming his gun hand at him. "How did you find this place? Let me guess, you just happened to stroll by, wonder inside, and play with the pinball machine?"

Kunsel looks at Barrett and replies in a calm tone, "Well yeah, pretty much. Except when I saw the pinball machine, I could tell that it was a suspicious contraption of some sort."

"How so?" Barrett asks as he continues aiming his gun hand at him.

"Because when you study the floor around it, you can see the places on the floor where it goes down at."

Since Kunsel doesn't even have his sword drawn and doesn't seem to be interested in fighting, Barrett hesitantly lowers his weapon. He looks at Tifa and tells her, "Maybe we should have one of them rotating walls or somethin' instead." Since they now have three uninvited people and all three of those people know Zack and Cloud, Barrett finds himself glaring at them as he tells them, "Why is it that everyone who came here just happens to know you two?"

Zack and Cloud just look at him in response because they can't think of an answer.

Barrett continues glaring at them as he adds, "You know, this ain't a clubhouse Spiky one and Spiky two."

Tifa looks at Barrett and tells him, "Well the more help that we have to fight Shin-Ra, the better." She walks up to Barrett and tells him in a hushed tone, "I know that you don't trust these people but Cloud and Zack do and I trust them."

"Kay, since you're fine with it, they can join us." Tifa smiles at him in response. Barrett is quick to add, "But if any of them try anythin'..."

Tifa interrupts him as she replies, "I don't think that we'll have anything to worry about with them, Barrett." Tifa turns to everyone and informs them, "Okay listen up everyone. You can all spend the night since it's getting late. There's extra beds upstairs in the back room that we have in case we got any new members."

**Okay, after like...over a year I finally added onto this. I would once again like to thank Tayashia for the help. Tayashia is the one who was very kind to help me with ideas and I greatly appreciate the help. So, Barrett and Zyloff...two different leaders of two different anti-Shin-Ra groups. This should be interesting. I know that this chapter probably wasn't very exciting, but I promise that it'll get better in later chapters. My main focus for this chapter was forming some of the team. Personally, I think that the next chapter will be better and I also have some really cool scenes planned out for future chapters. I'm also planning on adding in some more familiar faces in future chapters as well. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and please feel free to leave a review to let me know what you all think. All reviews are welcome.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing...Except for Zyloff, Mikhail, and The Bahamut Dragons.**

**Hello everyone. In this chapter the backstory for Zyloff and Mikhail is revealed. The first flashback at the very beginning..well those of you who have played FF7:Crisis Core will probably recognize that scene especially towards the end. Those of you who haven't, it's a flashback that Cloud's having. The second flashback is a dream that Mikhail's having and it is a past event of his backstory and how him and Zyloff first met. I just thought that this would be a good chapter to explain their background. Anyways, please review to let me know what you all think and please enjoy the chapter.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 7**

_Everything was green when he managed to slightly open his eyes. His eyes almost immediately slid shut again because he didn't have the strength to keep them opened and everything was dark again when he closed them. He could feel his hand twitch when he heard glass breaking. What was that? He tried to open his eyes again but they refused to obey him. He heard a loud thud sound, like someone was knocked down and landed hard on the floor. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered Zack. What if Hojo was out there and he's hurting his best friend again? He had to help him, but he couldn't get his body to move. His heart began to race when he suddenly heard and felt all of the mako energy being drained out of the incubator that he was in. Oh, no! They must be done hurting Zack and now they're going to hurt him again. Most people prayed and begged for normal things like a family or a nice house. Cloud prayed and begged for an end to the torment, even if the end to it came in the form of death. He found himself always pushing those thoughts out of his mind because he didn't want to leave Zack. Then Zack would be going through this hellish nightmare all alone._

_His heart raced even faster when he heard the incubator door open up. He needed to fight, yes, he must fight for his friend and himself. He tried to stand on his feet and raise his arms to try and throw at least a few punches. However, he couldn't get his body to move or even stand up on his own. He could feel himself falling and a pair of warm and strong arms caught him._

_Words couldn't describe how he felt when he heard a familiar voice say in a soft tone, "Cloud..."_

* * *

Cloud's eyes shoot open and he lets out a sharp gasp as he immediately sits up in bed. He places his hands on the sides of his head and he wipes off the sweat on his forehead after he notices that he's sweating. He looks around to see Zack, Kunsel, Barrett, Zyloff, and Mikhail still sleeping in their beds. Biggs and Wedge aren't here because they stayed the night at their own places and Aerith, Tifa, and Jessie are sleeping in the bedroom that they use for female AVALANCHE members while Marlene has her own room. He rubs his eyes before he gazes at the clock which reads '7:59 a.m'. He softly sighs as he pulls his blankets off of him and climbs to his feet because he has decided that he's had enough sleep for now. He quietly walks out of the room and silently closes the bedroom door behind him.

He makes his way into the bar area and sits down at one of the round tables. He rests his head on the palms of his hands and places his elbows on the table while he thinks about what he just dreamed about. He shudders and rests his arms on the table and buries his face into his arms because he knows that his 'dream' is probably a memory from his dark and tragic past. He suddenly jumps when he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see that it's Zack.

"Is everything alright?" Zack asks as he sits down beside his best friend.

Cloud looks down at the table and nods in response.

Zack knows that something is bothering him so he decides to ask, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Cloud continues looking down at the table and hesitantly nods again.

Zack looks away as he says, "Oh, okay." He turns and looks at Cloud again before he asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Cloud takes a deep breath before he finally answers, "No."

Zack really wants to know what's bothering his friend. He waits for several seconds before he finally decides to ask him, "Can you at least give me a hint of what it was about?"

Cloud lets out a shaky sigh. He knows that Zack won't leave him alone until he tells him. The former infantryman runs his hands through his messy blonde spiky hair before he finally decides to tell his best friend, "I um.." He takes a deep breath again. "It wasn't just a nightmare...It was a memory..I think."

Zack has a feeling where this might be going but he continues listening to his younger best friend.

Cloud's voice gets a little shaky as he continues, "Everything was green and then everything was black and dark and I heard some noises. It felt like I was falling but then someone caught me...and then I heard you say my name."

Zack doesn't know what to say. He continues staring at his friend with his mouth slightly gaped open before his eyes wonder down to the table. Now a part of him wishes that he wouldn't have asked, and yet a part of him doesn't regret it because it's something that happened to the both of them. Therefore they need to overcome it together. He remembers that memory. It was when he freed himself and Cloud from that mako filled hell just before they escaped from the lab. A shaky sigh escapes from Zack's lips before he gently places a comforting hand on Cloud's shoulder and tells him, "I still remember a lot of that too."

Cloud runs his hands through his hair again. "Do you have nightmares about that too?"

"Yeah." Zack suddenly feels bad on the inside when he sees Cloud look down at the table with a look of sadness and hurt in his eyes. He immediately decides to break the tension in the air as he gently pats his friend on the shoulder just before he gets up and walks behind Cloud.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asks as he quickly turns his head to see what Zack's doing.

Zack can't help but let out a soft chuckle because Cloud's acting a little jumpy. "Relax man, I'm just gonna give you a massage. It's not like I'm gonna shave your head or anything," he tells him as he gently places his hands on his shoulders and begins to massage them.

"I don't want a shoulder massage, Zack."

"Well, your muscles are pretty tense. So you sure can use one."

Cloud opens his mouth wide and lets out a yawn as he crosses his arms on the table and lays his head down. "I'm starting to feel kinda tired."

Zack smiles at his younger friend as he stops massaging his shoulders and playfully ruffles Cloud's hair as he says in a silly tone, "Aww, is poor little Cloudy getting tired?" He laughs as he sits back down beside his friend.

Cloud can't help but smile at Zack's words as he lifts his head up and looks at his older friend before he counters, "You look tired too. Would you like for me to get Aerith so that she could sing you a lullaby or read you a bedtime story, Zacky?"

They both burst out laughing for a few seconds but they quickly lower the sound of their laughter when they remember that everyone else is sleeping.

Meanwhile, Mikhail lays in bed as he continues to slumber with a saddened and emotionally pained expression on his face.

* * *

_"NOOO!" The cry ended when more gunshots were heard in the next room. _

_'Mommy...' the terrified little boy thought as he tightly closed his eyes while he continued to hide under his bed with tears streaming down his face. His heart skipped a beat and he pulled his knees tighter to his chest and gripped his blue jeans as he continued lying on his side when he saw a pair of dark brown boots walking across the hardwood floor._

_"Do they have a kid?" he heard someone ask._

_"I don't know, sir...but if they do then they're not here because we've searched this place and there's no one else here, sir." The young boy heard someone answer as he continued to do his best trying to not make a sound._

_"The President didn't say anything about a kid...Well then, we might as well get back to Shin-Ra headquarters and report to President Shin-Ra that the traitor and his wife has been taken care of. The company doesn't have to worry about that bastard selling anymore of our information or our best materia to those bidders. Come on. Let's get going."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_The young boy found himself holding his breath as he listened to the Shin-Ra infantrymen leaving. After they've been gone for several minutes, the little boy began to sob. He just witnessed his parents murder by Shin-Ra. He wiped his tears away on the sleeve of his dark blue shirt. __What should he do? Should he come out? Should he leave or stay? The bad guys didn't see him under here. This bed kept him safe. He should stay right here...Yes, it's safe here. ____He was too afraid to come out...too afraid to even move or make a sound. _He lets out so many choked sobs for several hours and he soon cried himself to sleep.  


_His eyes suddenly shot opened as he jumped when he heard a loud knock at the door a couple of hours later. After about a minute or two, he heard the front door creak open. Oh no, they're coming back for him! They must've found out that he's here somehow!_

_"Hello?" The young boy heard someone call out. "Hello? Is anyone here? I'm sorry to barge in like this, but this is the only place around. I just need some help finding the nearest town." The loud voice went away and was replaced by the sounds of footsteps coming closer and closer. He heard a loud gasp which was followed by coughing and gagging coming from the next room. He held his knees tight to his chest and trembled in sheer terror when he saw a pair of hiking boots walking across the floor. A soft whimper escaped from his lips when he saw the boots making their way towards his bed. Heavy and panicked breaths left him, he couldn't help it. He suddenly placed his hand over his mouth to try and keep himself quiet. "Is someone in here?" He heard the voice ask._

_He remained completely quiet in response in high hopes that the man would leave and not find him. He tightly closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps walk around the bed and open the closet door behind him. Oh no, the man is looking for him! He must've heard him. His thoughts were confirmed when he suddenly felt something wrap around his chest from behind him and tried to pull him out from under the bed. "AHH!" He cried out as he bit the man's hand._

_"Ow!" He quickly released the child and pulled his hand away._

_The young boy panicked and crawled out from under his bed to try and run away. However, before he even got a chance to climb to his feet, he felt someone strong wrap their arms around him from behind and picked him up. He began to kick and scream to try and get away. "No! No!"_

_"Shhh, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, kid."_

_"Ahhh! No!" His screams came to an end as he began to sob because he's terrified that this man might hurt him like how the bad guys had hurt his mom and dad. His body began to tremble uncontrollably when he felt the man sit down on the edge of the bed with him on his lap. He grunted and whimpered as he grabbed the stranger's arms that were wrapped around him and tried to squirm out of his grip._

_"Hey, it's okay. Shhh, everything's alright," the man said in a tender voice to try and calm the frightened little boy down. After a few minutes, the boy stopped struggling but continued breathing heavy because he wore himself out. Since he seemed to be calm at the moment, the man gently turned the boy around so that he was facing him and wrapped his arms around his back._

_After a few moments of building up his energy, the boy clutched the man's shirt and tried to pull away from him to try and get away again. He whined and whimpered when he wasn't able to escape. Since the boy couldn't escape from his captor, he immediately closed his eyes and buried his face into the man's chest to hide. In his mind, if he couldn't see this man, then the man couldn't see him either. His sobs turned into soft cries as he continued gripping the stranger's shirt. His body tensed up and trembled when he felt the stranger wrap some kind of a warm and soft fabric around his back. He forced his eyes opened and saw that it was just a blanket that was previously folded up on his bed. After seeing what it was, he quickly closed his eyes and continued 'hiding'._

_The man looked down at the child and wiped a few tears away. He felt good on the inside because he came here and found him physically unharmed. Who knows what would've happened to him if he hadn't arrived here? Yet, he also felt terrible on the inside as well because the boy is clearly traumatized. His look saddened even more as he continued to look down at him because the little boy is afraid of him. He soon figured out a way to try and lighten the atmosphere some and to work at gaining the child's trust. __"I'm sorry that I scared you. I promise that I didn't mean to and I'm very sorry, okay?" He told him in a soft tone. The boy didn't make a sound or even look up at him._ He decided to try a different approach. "Hey, who's this?" The man asked in a kind tone as he picked up a stuffed toy wolf off of the bed and held it close so that the boy could see what he was talking about. The child's curiousity got the better of him as he forced his eyes opened and slightly turned his head. The man gave the boy a warm smile as he asked, "Is this yours?" The little boy had his eyes locked on the stuffed animal but remained quiet in response. "Hey, it's okay. You can talk to me."

_The frightened little boy replied in a shaky voice, "M-Mommy said don't talk to strangers." With that being said, he immediately closed his eyes and buried his face into the man's chest again to hide from him._

_"Well, your mommy's right. I'm sorry, where's my manners? My name is Zyloff. What's your name, kiddo?"_

_'Kiddo? Daddy called me 'kiddo'. Maybe this man is a friend of daddy's?' He thought to himself. The thought encouraged him to look up at the stranger for the first time. He was surprised to see that this man didn't look scary at all. He didn't wear the same scary looking helmet that the bad guys from Shin-Ra wore, which to him looked like scary looking monster eyes at the top. Instead the man wore a grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and hiking boots. He looked like he was in his twenties and he also had short dark brown hair and a smile full of kindness as he looked down at him. The boy didn't feel so scared of him anymore and since this man didn't look or act mean and scary, he decided to answer in a shy voice, "Mikhail."_

_"Mikhail? That's a good name," he complimented. Zyloff gave him a big smile as he asked, "Do you want your wolf, Mikhail?"_

_Mikhail cautiously reached for his stuffed wolf. He tightly wrapped his arm around it and held it close for comfort and to feel secure. To him, the stuffed wolf or 'Wolfey' as he called it, was his best friend. He couldn't believe that he left his best friend on his bed so that the bad people could've seen him._

_Zyloff gently rested his chin on Mikhail's head as he asked, "Would you like to know what wolves symbolize where I come from, kiddo?"_

_Mikhail continued clinging to his wolf as he asked in a soft voice, "What?"_

_"They're a very special and respected animal where I come from. They symbolize loyalty and guardianship." He placed a gentle kiss on the boy's head to try and make sure that the child knew that he won't hurt him. A big smile found it's way on the man's face when Mikhail didn't whimper or shy away from him. "How old are you?"_

_Mikhail hugged his stuffed wolf as he relaxed and rested his head on Zyloff's chest before he answered, "Seven."_

_"Seven? Well, you're such a brave boy." He knew that he had to help this poor kid. He saw the spatters of blood on the walls and the pools of blood on the floor in the next room not long before he found the boy which indicated that his parents or guardians have been killed in some kind of home invasion. The dead bodies have already dissipated and joined the Lifestream quite some time ago before he even arrived there. Therefore, he knew that he couldn't just leave him here because if he leaves him he'll eventually die. He almost immediately chose to adopt this boy and raise him as his own. He's always wanted to have kids but has never had any of his own. "Hey, Mikhail?" __Mikhail looked up at him after he heard his name. "Hey kiddo, I'm gonna take you somewhere safe, okay?" __Mikhail looked down after he heard Zyloff's statement. He knew why Zyloff was going to leave and take him with him. He gave the boy a kind smile as he asked, "Do you wanna come with me?"_

_Mikhail looked up at him with wide eyes and hugged his stuffed wolf tight before he asked, "Can Wolfey come?"_

_Zyloff smiled at him again. "Yes, of course he can." He gently sat him down on the bed and grabbed a nearby shoulder strap bag that was lying on the floor. He quickly went to the boy's dresser and packed him some clothes._

_Mikhail watched as Zyloff made his way around the room as he stuffed some clothes as well as a few of the boy's other belongings into the bag. "Where are we going?" He curiously asked in a quiet voice._

_Zyloff stopped what he was doing and looked at the boy. "Oh um, well I travel around a lot. So I go to different villages and towns. I get to see the world though and if you want to, I would like for you to join me." He went back to packing the child's things._

_An unsure look found its way on Mikhail's face as he continued watching Zyloff. He knew that he couldn't stay here and his only option was to go with him. Is he supposed to? Yes, unfortunately the life that he knew before is gone now. Zyloff quickly fastened the bag once he was finished packing and walked up to Mikhail. "Hold on to Wolfey." Mikhail tightly grabbed his stuffed wolf and held onto it. Zyloff put the bag over his shoulder and wrapped the blanket around Mikhail before he gently grabbed the boy from under the arms and picked him up. Since the next room was a bloody and gory mess, Zyloff told Mikhail, "Listen, I need you to hold on to me real tight. I also need you to keep your eyes closed and do not open them until I tell you to, okay?" Mikhail nodded in response and did as he was told as he buried his face into the man's chest.  
After making sure that his eyes were closed, Zyloff made his way out of Mikhail's bedroom and into the next room. He could feel his stomach turn when he saw all of the blood and the bullet holes in the walls again. He grunted as he stepped over a few large pools of blood._

_Mikhail softly whimpered before he said in a shaky voice, "Zyloff?" He was starting to feel scared again because there was so much blood in the room that he could smell its distinctive copper scent. He kept his eyes closed just like Zyloff said, but as he breathed he couldn't help but smell it._

_Zyloff gently placed his hand on the back of Mikhail's head to make sure that he wasn't looking. "It's okay. Do not open your eyes. Keep them closed," he ordered. Zyloff began to walk faster so that they'll get out of the house quicker in order to escape from the smell. Once they got outside and up to his truck, Zyloff quickly yet gently sat Mikhail down on the passenger's seat of his truck and tossed the bag into the back seat. After fastening the boy's seat belt and closing the door, he ran over to the driver's side and climbed in. He fastened in and immediately drove away before he finally told him, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."_

* * *

Mikhail's eyes shoot open as he wakes up when he hears those words of his guardian echo in his mind from the past. He rubs his eyes and gets up and heads to the bathroom. After walking in the bathroom, for some reason he feels compelled to look at his reflection in the mirror. As he gazes into the mirror, he sees a young man looking back at him instead of the little boy that he once was. He sighs as he thinks to himself, 'It's been ten years already.' He grips the top of the sink and hangs his head low as he continues with his thoughts, 'I wish that I could just forget it...' He doesn't want to forget his parents...he'll never forget them because he knows that his parents are a part of him and it's his duty to always remember and honor them. He just wishes that he can dream about a happy time that he shared with them instead of their tragic deaths. He quickly washes his face before he leaves the bathroom and makes his way to the kitchen. He's surprised to see Zack and Cloud sitting at the table.

"Sheesh, I thought that I was the only one up," Mikhail says as he walks up to Zack and Cloud's table. "Can I sit with you guys?"

"Of course," Zack replies with a welcoming smile. He can't help but feel a little surprised at how calm Mikhail is acting. Last night when him and Zyloff first arrived, the teenager was acting quite cheerful and energetic.

Mikhail sits down beside them and asks in a calm and shaky voice, "Did you guys have a nightmare too?"

Cloud nods in response to his question.

Zack looks at him and says, "I did a few nights ago but not tonight though. I just got up because Cloud got up."

Mikhail looks down at the table. "Oh, okay."

Zack pats him on the back and tells him, "You know, it must be pretty cool to have a dad like Zyloff."

Mikhail looks up at him with wide eyes before he suddenly looks back down at the table and replies, "He's not my dad."

Zack and Cloud look at him with a confused expression on their faces.

Mikhail notices Zack and Cloud's confused expressions and he's quick to add, "I mean, he is but he isn't. He adopted me and took care of me when I was little." He takes a deep breath before he reveals to them in a shaky tone, "Ten years ago, my real dad used to work for Shin-Ra. I can't remember everything that he did, but I know that he used to make materia for the company. He was selling a lot of the powerful materia to different people including some AVALANCHE members at that time." He takes another deep breath before he continues, "Somehow, Shin-Ra found out about it. The Shin-Ra president sent some infantrymen to my house...mom and dad was killed." He furrows his eyes in anger and sadness at the past incident as he tells them with a voice that's tinged with guilt, "The only reason why I'm still here is because I hid under my bed in my room the whole time while they killed my parents in the next room." His look of anger completely fades away before he adds in a sad and shaky voice, "When they left, Zyloff came several hours later and found me...I was seven." He rubs the back of his neck and looks down as he continues, "That's what my nightmare was about. I have that nightmare a lot."

Cloud looks down before he tells him, "I'm sorry. I..I know what it's like to lose your parents."

Mikhail looks up at Cloud and tells him, "That's okay. I try to not let it bring me down." He can't help but feel a little curious of what happened to Cloud's parents. He decides not to ask because he knows that he probably doesn't like to talk about it. Mikhail knows that he doesn't like talking about what happened to his parents. Instead, he decides to ask them, "So why was Shin-Ra after you guys a while back?"

Zack and Cloud glance at each other with a shocked yet pained look on their faces and Mikhail can't help but think that perhaps he asked a wrong question. Zack takes a deep breath before he manages to calmly answer, "We was on a mission and it went wrong. Our commanding officer basically went crazy and killed most of the people in the village. We fought against him to try and stop him, but we both got hurt pretty bad. Cloud managed to kill him though." Zack takes another deep breath to try and prepare himself to explain the next part to him. He adds in a shaky tone, "We were handed over to a mad scientist who worked for Shin-Ra. He had us for four years..and during that time we were...experimented on."

Mikhail's expression saddens as he listens to their story. "But you guys worked for them...didn't you?"

Cloud speaks up, "Yeah, we did. That obviously didn't matter to them though."

Mikhail feels deeply saddened about what happened to them. He looks up at them and says, "I'm so sorry that happened to you guys...No one should go through something like that..."

Zack pats the teenager on the back and tells him, "It's alright, man. We got away and we're doing fine now."

The conversation makes Mikhail remember their first meeting and how bad and helpless Cloud looked during that time. He smiles at Cloud and says to him, "It's really good to see that you're better."

Cloud's eyes slightly widen some because he knows what Mikhail is referring to. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Mikhail looks at Zack and Cloud with a warm smile as he decides to tell them, "Zyloff is like a father to me though. Even though we're not related, he has never referred to me as his adopted son. He has always called me his 'son' and he's always been really nice to me."

Zack can't help but give Mikhail a big smile in response because he's basically saying that Zyloff has claimed him as his son. It reminds Zack of how he has claimed Cloud as his brother.

**Okay, and there's chapter 7. I hope that you all enjoyed it. I know that not much action happened, but I promise that chapter 8 will be loaded with action scenes. In this chapter I wanted to show some backstory and have Zack and Cloud get to know Mikhail and Zyloff a bit better. Anyways, please feel free to leave a review to let me know what you all think. I would greatly appreciate it and all reviews are welcome.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing except for Zyloff and Mikhail.**

**Hello everyone. Here's chapter 8 and I hope that you all enjoy it. There's a lot of action scenes in this one, oh, and there's also a pretty good scene with Barrett and Zyloff. Haha, I know that you all may have seen it coming. You know, it's quite common when you have two leaders join forces, so yeah, it was coming, haha. There's also a few cuss words in here too, but just a few. I always prefer to try and warn you all about that. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy it and please feel free to leave a review. All reviews are welcome, positive, negative, or just simple writing tips, they're all welcome. Anyways, please enjoy the chapter. **

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 8 **

"Okay ya'll. Today's the big day," Barrett announces as he walks into the bar area of Seventh Heaven with a determined and concerned look on his face. There's no customers in the room because they have closed early today due to a highly important matter.

Mikhail slightly tilts his head in confusion and asks him, "The big day for what?"

Kunsel places his hand on his shoulder and informs him, "He wants to attack Shin-Ra's headquarters today."

Barrett glares at the former SOLDIER 2nd Class and asks, "How in the hell did ya know that?"

"I have my ways of finding things out," Kunsel answers with a small grin.

Zyloff suddenly stands up, nearly knocking down his chair in the process as he replies to Barrett, "What?" He shakes his head. "No, that's a bad move. I don't think that's a good idea right now."

"I sent Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs on the plate earlier to spy on 'em Shin-Ra. They told me after they got back that security's low.." he looks more determined and concerned when he reveals, "and Jessie was caught."

"I'm sorry to hear that...but it may have just looked that way on the outside. How many soldiers do they have on the inside?" Zyloff replies.

"I trust my people and they're good at what they do," Barrett tells him with a glare.

"I'm sure that they are and I don't doubt them. I'm just saying that security might look low on the outside, but it may be very high on the inside. I'm also very sorry about Jessie..but I think that if we attack them, then we'll be going right into a trap."

"We took out them reactors. Now is the time to strike!" Barrett argues.

Zyloff crosses his arms in frustration as he argues, "We can't just go in their main headquarters and start fighting them! That will carelessly put everyone else's lives at risk."

"Everyone here understands them risks!" Barrett sighs when he sees the frustrated glare on Zyloff's face. "We don't leave any of our people behind! Shin-Ra is weaker now...How do you kill a poisonous snake? By cutting off it's head. Shin-Ra's headquarters is the head of the snake, if we take it out then the company will fall," he explains.

"And what happens when the poisonous snake gets out of control if you're unable to cut off it's head? It bites you..and then it kills you," Zyloff counters.

"I'm in charge and I'm the one who gives the orders!"

"Yeah well, you're not in charge of me and Mikhail. When you think about it, you're not in charge of your people either because technically they choose to carry out your orders but they don't really have to if they don't want to." When Zyloff sees the angry glare on Barrett's face, he's quick to add, "Look, I do agree with you. We do need to get her back. I have an idea so please just hear me out."

Barrett nods in response before Zyloff explains his idea. "Shin-Ra obviously knows of our presence here in the city. So, how about we leave Midgar and make them think that we're gone for good. Then we sneak back into the city after a while and into their headquarters and free Jessie?"

Barrett crosses his arms and leans up against the wall as he says, "And how long will 'a while' be? She could be executed by the time we get back here. I ain't losin' any of my people to Shin-Ra."

Mikhail takes a few steps towards them and suggests, "How about we let ourselves get caught and then we bust out and get her that way?" Everyone in the room looks at Mikhail after hearing his risky idea. The teenager shrugs and tells them, "What? I'm just throwing some ideas around."

When Zyloff realizes just how limited their options are, he tells the AVALANCHE leader, "Okay, if we use the element of surprise, then maybe your idea is the best option..but we need to be very careful because compared to their numbers, there's not very many of us."

Barrett asks him in a tone that sounds much calmer, "How many people do ya got?"

Zyloff takes a deep breath and answers, "Seventy-four, including me and Mikhail."

"Then how 'bout ya call yer guys up and have 'em come to help us?"

Zyloff can't help but let out a frustrated sigh, not because of Barrett but because of the irony of the situation at how he didn't think that he would need his people when him and Mikhail left Cosmo Canyon a few months ago. He answers Barrett, "You know, that's a great idea..but I gave them orders to stay in Cosmo Canyon."

Barrett just gives him a blank stare before he glares and asks, "Ya serious?"

Zyloff nods in response. "I can call them up but it'll take way too long for them to get here in enough time."

"No, you might as well just have 'em stay there."

Kunsel decides to speak up, "Hey, I've got an idea." Everyone looks at Kunsel as he informs them, "There's a secret underground tunnel underneath the city and it leads into the Shin-Ra building."

Barrett crosses his arms and asks him, "How do ya know that?"

The former SOLDIER 2nd Class reaches into his pocket and holds up a folded up piece of paper as he reveals, "Because earlier I went to the library and I found some blueprints of the city." He unfolds the blueprints and lays it out on the table. "On the top of the plate, there's an abandoned warehouse" he points to it on the blueprint when Barrett and Zyloff along with the rest of the group looks at it "that Shin-Ra used to use for storage. This place has been abandoned for a few years so they don't use it anymore at all."

Barrett lets out a relieved sigh as he thinks that perhaps this will be a successful rescue mission after all. "Where's this secret entrance?"

Kunsel lifts up the blueprint of the city to reveal the blueprint of the abandoned warehouse and points at their destination before he answers, "It's in the basement."

Zyloff looks at everyone and announces, "Okay, this is the best plan to go by and it definitely has my approval." He looks at Barrett and asks, "What do you think?"

Barrett looks at the blueprints to memorize it for a few seconds before he nods and answers, "Yo, same here."

Kunsel looks at the two anti-Shin-Ra leaders and asks them, "So, we're going to get to this building, use this secret entrance to sneak in, and then save Jessie, right?"

Barrett looks at him and nods in response.

Zyloff also looks at Kunsel and answers, "I'm in."

When everyone leaves the room to prepare except for Zack and Cloud who are already geared up aside from getting their swords, Kunsel sits down beside his friends at one of the tables before he tells them, "If this mission goes wrong, there's a high possibility that we may have to leave the big city. So, we could meet up with Zyloff's men later." He looks at Zack and Cloud who's sitting next to him and asks them, "So what do you guys think is the best idea?"

Cloud looks down at the table before he answers, "Yours."

Zack looks up at him and replies, "I agree with Cloud. I think that your idea is the best one."

Out of some curiosity, Kunsel decides to ask his friends, "What do you think about Mikhail's idea?"

"If we knew for sure that we could escape and that they wouldn't kill us instead, then it wouldn't be a bad idea."

Cloud slightly jumps some when he hears a wooden chair drag across the floor. He turns his head to see that it's Mikhail pulling out a chair and sits next to him. A big smile appears on Mikhail's face and his eyes widen as he cheerfully says, "Now you see? You guys like my idea." Mikhail looks over at Kunsel and asks, "Hey, that's a really cool looking helmet. I don't see any eye holes though. So how do you see out of it? Can I try it on?"

"Yeah sure." Kunsel removes his helmet and hands it over to Mikhail.

Since Kunsel doesn't remove his helmet very often, Zack can't help but playfully nudge Cloud with his elbow and jokes, "Hey, look Cloud. He does have a face." Zack lets out a hardy chuckle when he sees a small smile appear on Cloud's face.

Kunsel looks at his friend and softly laughs before he playfully tells Zack, "You're an idiot."

"Yo!" Zack, Cloud, and Kunsel look to see Barrett standing in the doorway.

"Huh?" Mikhail still has Kunsel's helmet on and looks around before he asks, "Who said that?"

"Gear up everyone! We've got a mission to do," Barrett orders as he leaves the room again.

"Yes Captain, my Captain!" Mikhail jokes as he looks towards the wall and salutes. Zack, Cloud, Kunsel, and Mikhail get up to retrieve their weapons. Since Mikhail's having a hard time seeing out of Kunsel's helmet, he accidentally runs into the doorway and nearly falls down. The teenager bursts out laughing as he takes the helmet off and gives it back to Kunsel. "I think you do a better job at wearing this than me."

While everyone grabs their weapons and prepares an attack against Shin-Ra, Zyloff walks up to his adopted son and tells him, "I think that it will be best for you to stay here and watch over Aerith and Marlene while we're gone."

Mikhail just gives him a confused look as he replies, "...But I always go with you.."

"Mikhail, this is a very dangerous mission and I just don't want for you to get hurt."

The teenager looks up at him with pleading eyes and says, "I'm strong and I'm brave...You know that I'm a really good fighter. Please Zyloff."

Zyloff looks down at the floor. They both have been in several fire fights against Shin-Ra before and they both have always came out unscathed. He understands how important it is for his adopted son to fight against Shin-Ra. The boy has always wanted justice against the corrupted company for killing his parents ten years ago. The man believes that true justice is indeed a noble cause. He sighs before he looks back up at Mikhail and says in a firm tone, "Okay, but just stay close to us and don't you wonder off."

Mikhail gives him a big and thankful smile as he tightly wraps his arms around him for a hug and replies, "Thank you, pops."

Zyloff returns the hug and tells him, "I love you, son."

"I love you right back, pops."

Aerith walks up to Zack and wraps her arms around him. "Please be careful, Zack."

Zack wraps his arms around her and gently kisses her on the forehead before he tells her, "I will." He kisses her on the lips before he adds, "I promise."

She hugs him a little tighter and says, "I want you to come back to me."

He gently rubs her back as he replies, "I promise that everything will be okay, Aerith. We'll be back in a cinch."

Aerith looks up at him and reminds him, "You said that last time."

Zack takes a deep breath. "I promise that it won't be like last time." He kisses her again and tells her, "Don't worry, Aerith. I'll be back in a few hours." He looks in her bright green eyes as he tells her, "I love you."

She kisses him and replies, "I love you too, Zack."

Barrett kneels down when he sees Marlene run up to him. They wrap their arms around each other for a hug as he tells his adopted daughter, "I promise that I'll be right back." When he hears her sniffle a few times, he adds, "It'll be okay, baby girl."

Marlene wipes her tears away before she buries her face into his shoulder and replies, "I don't want you to go, daddy."

The man places a gentle kiss on her head and hugs her just a little bit tighter to try and comfort her before he tells her, "Don't ya worry. I always come back." He looks down at her and does his best to smile when she looks up at him.

She buries her face into his shoulder again and says, "I love you, daddy."

"I love ya too, Marlene." Barrett has always dreaded these times when Marlene is worried about him going on missions because he hates to see her cry. When he fights against Shin-Ra, he does it to save the planet because he wants for her to have a bright and hopeful future...although, sometimes he feels as if it may be out of vengeance for what the company has done to him in the past...

They stop hugging and Aerith walks up to them and says, "I promise that I'll keep her safe."

Barrett nods in response and places another gentle kiss on Marlene's head before she goes up to Aerith and holds her hand. Aerith keeps her eyes locked on Zack while Marlene keeps her eyes locked on Barrett as they watch them walk out of Seventh Heaven.

* * *

The group makes it up to the plate about half an hour later. Kunsel looks around in search of the abandoned warehouse. He looks at Barrett and Zyloff as he informs everyone, "The warehouse is over there, past those buildings."

"I don't know about this guys," Zack tells the group when he sees at how empty the city looks. No one's on the streets or anything. Perhaps it's because it's night time? No, something has to be wrong. Zack has a bad feeling about this.

Cloud looks around to see that his best friend is right. He can't help but remember one of the tactics that he learned when he was a Shin-Ra infantryman. The tactic that he's instantly reminded of is when Shin-Ra evacuates the entire area of the civilian population if there's a threat of an upcoming attack in Midgar. "Something's up."

Kunsel draws his sword and looks around. "This whole area has been completely evacuated."

"Hey, there's someone," Mikhail informs the group when he sees someone run into a nearby building.

"Mikhail! Wait!" Zyloff orders when he sees Mikhail chase the mysterious person into the large brick building. He immediately chases after his adopted son. A strong feeling of worry and concern floods into him when a thick solid steel door suddenly drops down between them at the entrance of the building, separating Mikhail from the rest of the group. He desperately pounds his fist on the steel door and yells, "Mikhail! Get this door open!"

Biggs pats him on the shoulder to get his attention. When Zyloff turns around, Biggs tells him, "Hey, we got a problem."

Everyone races for cover when hundreds of Shin-Ra infantrymen suddenly appears from what seems like out of no where in the streets as well as in the windows of some of the buildings and begins shooting at them. As they take cover, the group immediately returns fire. Barrett cries out as he shoots at a large group of infantrymen while taking cover in an alley behind a building. He looks at Zyloff who's standing beside him and asks in a loud voice so that he can hear him, "Damn! Where are they all comin' from?!"

Zyloff aims his chain blade gauntlet at a nearby infantryman and the blade impales his enemy in the chest after he shoots it out before he pulls it back and answers, "How should I know?! After this, I'm voting that we leave Midgar!" After they take down several infantrymen, Zyloff looks across the street towards the building where Mikhail's at and tells Barrett, "Cover me!"

"The hell you goin'?" Barrett asks him after he shoots a few infantrymen.

"I'm going to get my son," he answers with sheer determination.

Barrett chooses to not argue with his new ally because like Zyloff, he's also a father. So he completely understands Zyloff's decision. He nods in response before replying, "Yo, I got yer back." Barrett quickly grabs his shoulder to briefly stop him before he runs across the street when he sees some infantrymen around the building where Zyloff's determined to go. "Hold on," he says before he shoots the infantrymen in that area.

Zyloff turns to him and tells him, "Thanks."

Barrett nods in response. "Ya watch yourself over there."

"You too," Zyloff tells him before he pulls out his handgun and races across the street.

* * *

Meanwhile in the building, Mikhail finally catches up to the person that he was pursuing when they reach the second floor. The man is in a room standing in front of a window and in the light that's shining in from the moon and the street lights, he's able to get a better look at him. His eyes widen in surprise when he realizes that the man's wearing a Shin-Ra infantryman uniform. He didn't know that it was an infantryman that he was chasing, he thought that it was a civilian. He quickly pulls out his handgun in response to the sudden realization.

The infantryman gives him a cold glare from behind his helmet as his lips form into a heartless snarl. He seems to recognize Mikhail as he says, "Well, well, what have we here?" He smirks as he draws out his wooden nightstick. "You're Professor Kowalski's little cub."

A cold shiver immediately runs down Mikhail's back after he hears the man's voice. That voice..he knows that voice. He suddenly knows who this man is now because he never forgets a voice. He slightly jumps when he hears the sounds of gunfire and explosions outside. While aiming his gun towards the infantryman, the teenager cautiously walks towards a nearby window beside him.

"Your father" the infantryman cruelly smiles as he continues "begged for his life that night..right before I shot him."

The man's words forces Mikhail to stop in his tracks. His left hand forms into a tight fist at his side and he can feel his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand. It feels like his blood is boiling as he struggles to try to control his persistent rage that's flooding into him to the point that he can hardly think clearly.

This only makes the infantryman smile even more as he cruelly adds, "And your mother..she screamed and cried before I shot her..thirty-two times if I recall." He pauses for a few seconds before an evil chuckle escapes from his lips and he says, "You probably have an idea of who I am" his voice seems to echo throughout the whole room making it sound louder as he continues "don't you?"

Mikhail furrows his eyes as he answers him with his gun still pointing directly at him, "Yeah, you're the heartless asshole who's about to die."

The infantryman mocks him with his laughter before replying, "Well, in case you're wondering how I know you..your whole little vigilante group has caused the company some problems in the past, just like AVALANCHE. Over the years we managed to find out the identity of various members..including you." He sighs before telling him, "It's a shame that my men who were with me that night can't be here to help me kill you. They got themselves killed during the Wutai War." He continues to coldly smile at him as he reveals, "Before I kill you I want you to know something. That night, I knew that you were under the bed..hiding like a coward. It's such an obvious hiding place. The reason why I had us leave was because I knew that you'd die eventually without mommy and daddy to take care of you. The President also didn't give us any orders to kill you..until now." A sinister grin appears on the man's face as he questions, "Since you've never seen me before, how do you know for sure that I'm the one who did it?" He laughs before he adds, "I could've just falsely admitted to it for all you know."

The teenager knows without a doubt that this man is the one who killed his family. He glares at him with bitter hatred as he yells, "I was there! I know what you did!"

The man bursts out laughing before he replies, "Alright." He looks at the teenager directly in the eyes as he honestly confesses, "I did it."

Mikhail makes a fist and points towards him as he furiously shouts, "You will pay for what you've done!"

The man takes a few steps towards him. He insanely laughs before he taunts, "If you're looking to die..then you've come to the right place, boy." He tightens his grip on his nightstick as he continues, "Only one of us will leave this place alive."

Mikhail begins to immediately shoot at the man when he throws his wooden nightstick at him. The bullets miss the target when the nightstick hits the gun out of his hand and flies across the room. A pained grunt escapes from the teenager's lips when he suddenly feels the man tackle him to the floor. Although the infantryman's on top of him, Mikhail begins punching him with all of his strength in the face, splitting his lip and his face turns bright red which will undoubtedly leave large bruises.

The teenager begins gasping for air when he realizes that the man is choking him. He stops punching him and grabs the man's arms to try and escape from his evil clutches. After about a minute, everything starts to turn dark and he can hear the infantryman's voice which sounds far away mock him by taunting, "Give up. You're already dead anyways."

Mikhail completely ignores him as he attempts to try to get his knife that's attached to his belt. However, with the man sitting on top of him, he's unable to reach it. So instead he feels around to try and find something else to use as a weapon. He manages to grab something that's lying on the concrete floor beside him. He immediately grabs the item and hits him right in the side of the neck which knocks the infantryman off of him. When he climbs to his feet, he realizes that the item is the infantryman's wooden nightstick that he threw at him earlier. As the infantryman attempts to get up, Mikhail drops the nightstick as he runs up to him and kicks him in the side. He grabs him by the shirt and pulls him up before pinning him up against the brick wall. When the infantryman attempts to punch him in the face, Mikhail quickly ducks and punches him in the jaw.

The infantryman manages a quick recovery and he punches Mikhail in the stomach before pushing him to the floor. When the infantryman walks up to him, Mikhail kicks him before climbing to his feet. He charges at the infantryman and he lets out a loud grunt when the man moves out of the way and pushes him up against the wall. When the man tries to hit him, Mikhail quickly moves out of the way which causes for the man to punch the brick wall instead. He cries out in pain as he clutches his bleeding hand before he yells, "You're gonna pay for that you asshole!"

Mikhail glares at him as he replies with dark sarcasm, "Well, what do ya know? It feels."

After he hears the teenager's smart-alec remark, the infantryman runs up to him. However, Mikhail leaps out of the way and grabs his gun on the floor. The infantryman crashes to the floor when Mikhail shoots him in the leg. He grunts in pain and cries out, "My leg!" He glares up at the teenager who's pointing his gun down at him as he mockingly says with a cold and bitter smile, "Please..have mercy?"

'Mercy?' A surprised look finds its way on Mikhail's face. He had no idea that a man like this was even capable of saying such a word. He furiously glares down at him as he asks, "Mercy? Do you mean the same kind of mercy that you showed me just a few minutes ago when you attacked me first and tried to kill me? Or do you mean the same kind of mercy that you showed me ten years ago when you left me there to die? Or perhaps you mean the same kind of mercy that you showed my parents when you killed them?"

The man coughs on his own blood as he looks up at Mikhail, surprisingly with a look of fear in his eyes. Mikhail glares down at the man as he continues to aim his gun at him. The infantryman knows the look that Mikhail has. He has seen that look more than enough times on the battlefield..the boy is going to kill him. Streams of blood drips down his chin as he tells him, "Killing me won't make things right."

"No!" Mikhail shouts. The look of rage disappears, but only for a second right before he adds, "But it's a start!" He manages to force himself to calm down when he reminds himself as he thinks, 'I need to be in a state of pure selflessness because this isn't revenge..this is justice.' Time seems to slow down as he squeezes the trigger and the sounds of gunfire echos through the building until the clip in his handgun is empty. He places his gun in his holster before he takes a few steps backwards until his back meets the brick wall. Deep and heavy breaths leave him as he stares in shock at the bloody and lifeless body of the man that he just killed. He looks down as he slowly sinks to the floor and thinks to himself, 'He was the monster, not me. Justice has finally been carried out for mom, dad, and me. I did what I was supposed to do.' He soon finds himself staring at the man that he just killed seconds ago again. He can't help but feel bad in a way because despite the fact that he wasn't a very nice person, the man was following orders that night. He lets out a shaky sigh as he looks back down at the concrete floor. "Did I do the right thing?"

"You did the right thing, Mikhail."

A sharp gasp leaves him and it feels as if his heart has skipped a beat after he hears that familiar voice. 'That voice..It sounds like..dad? No..It can't be,' he thinks to himself. Mikhail immediately looks up to see two very important people that he hasn't seen in a decade. His eyes widen and his jaw drops as he gazes up at the spirits of his parents. He doesn't feel scared, just amazed at who he's seeing. He keeps his eyes locked on them, doing his best to memorize every aspect of their features. His father is muscular and has short blonde hair like him. He also realizes that his mother's eyes has the same icy blue color just like his. The icy blue color of their eyes seems to mirror a past tragedy that most people would probably call ancient history by now. He has never realized just how much he resembles his parents until now.

His mother looks at him with a warm smile on her face. "Because of you, we can rest now."

Mikhail rubs his eyes and looks in front of him again to try and make sure that he's not just seeing things. He's surprised to see that they're still here, so there's no way that he's imagining it. His voice sounds shaky as he speaks to them, "I...I should've helped you." He immediately climbs to his feet when he sees that they're now walking towards him.

They stop just a few inches in front of him before his mother tells him, "Don't ever blame yourself. What happened is not your fault and it never was."

Mikhail's father sadly looks down at the floor with an expression that's full of regret and his voice seems to echo as he tells his son, "If anyone is to blame for what happened that night, it is me. I should have known better..I know that I was a fool for doing what I did." A deep sigh escapes from him before he looks up at his son and sadly continues, "You and your mother has paid dearly for my mistakes." He gives his son a warm and comforting smile. "But now you have set things right."

They both give him a warm smile that's full of hope as his mother holds out her hand. Mikhail quickly looks at her and realizes that she's holding something and she wants to give it to him. He holds out his hand and she gives him the mysterious item. When he looks down, he realizes that it's a picture of him and Zyloff. The picture appears to be taken several years back because he looks like he was seven or eight years old and he's sitting on Zyloff's lap and they both have a big smile on their faces. When he examines it more closely, he realizes that his parents can be faintly seen behind them.

He takes a deep breath as his back slides down the wall behind him and sits down again as his eyes stay locked on the picture. He manages to snap out of his shock and reloads his gun when he hears the battle that's waging on outside. He climbs back up to his feet and puts the photograph in his pants pocket when the building begins to shake as if there's an earthquake. Of course, he knows right away that it's not an earthquake at all...it was an explosion.

He runs down the stairs where he came in at to try to leave. "No!" He cries out when he notices that there's now a solid steel door that's over the wooden door that he ran through to get in here. He desperately pounds his fists on the steel door and calls out, "Zyloff! Kunsel!" He ducks and places his arms over his head to try and shield himself from the debris that's falling from the ceiling. He gasps when he suddenly feels someone strong grab him from behind and pull him back towards the stairs. He instinctively turns his head to see his father behind him. He realizes that the spirit of his father has just saved his life when a large chunk of debris lands between him and the door where he was previously standing at seconds before.

He stumbles a bit as he races up the stairs and into the room where he was at moments ago. He runs up to a window and his heart sinks and his hope begins to fade away when he sees that there's iron bars over the window. He can't believe this. The building is starting to come down and he has to get out of here fast. He refuses to let himself get buried alive in here. He lets out several loud grunts as he tries to kick the iron bars in but to no avail. He falls to his knees when the floor shakes again. He looks up and his hope instantly gets restored when he sees a window with no bars over it. While the floor continues shaking, Mikhail manages to stand up and begins walking towards the window. The floor begins to shake violently and his eyes widen in fear when the floor around him begins to collapse. Surprisingly, he manages to stay on his feet as he desperately races towards the window. He shields himself with his arms as he busts through the glass and leaps out of the window. He feels himself falling until his feet meets the ground. He cries out in agony when a sharp pain shoots through his left leg after he hears a loud snapping sound which causes him to instantly crumple to the ground. The pain in his leg is so intense that he cries out until everything suddenly fades to black.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the battle wages on, Cloud is quick to act when he sees an infantryman aim his weapon at Tifa, he quickly leaps in front of her and shields them with his sword. The bullets deflect off of his sword and hits the infantryman in the chest. "Tifa, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, Cloud."

Cloud's eyes suddenly widen when he looks across the street to see Zack in an alley standing beside a tall brick building. After he takes down the infantrymen around him, the top corner of the building gets hit by a rocket launcher from an infantryman. "Zack!" Cloud yells when he sees a few bricks fall and hit Zack in the head, knocking him down. When he sees a large amount of bricks beginning to fall, he drops his sword before he races towards his best friend and leaps on top of him to do his best to shield him from the falling debris. Cloud grunts when he feels a large pile of bricks fall on top of him and Zack, burying them both under a mountain of rubble.

* * *

While taking cover behind a pile of rubble in the street beside Wedge, Biggs looks at Barrett who's still taking cover behind a building and shooting at their enemies and yells, "Sir, we're being overrun!" Since Barrett didn't say anything or even look in their direction, he assumes that he didn't hear him due to the sounds of all of the loud gunfire and explosions.

Wedge manages to shoot several infantrymen until his gun begins to click when he pulls the trigger. He shouts, "I'm out!"

Biggs can't help but sigh in frustration because they're both almost out of ammo. He gives Wedge an ammo clip as he tells him in a loud tone so that he can hear him through all of the commotion, "Here! Make it count!"

While Wedge is reloading his weapon, he suddenly cries out in agony when he feels an intense sharp pain in his back. When he realizes that Wedge has been shot, Biggs quickly turns around to see some infantrymen behind them. He doesn't know how the enemy has got passed them. He's quick to act as he returns fire, however, when he manages to take down a couple of them they immediately take aim at him and Wedge and pull the trigger.

"No! Dammit!" Barrett furiously screams when he sees the group of infantrymen kill Biggs and Wedge. He immediately aims his weapon at the small group and shoots them to make them pay for taking down two of his men.

* * *

Mikhail slowly opens his eyes when he hears his name being called. Everything looks blurry and a soft groan leaves him when he feels a warm and gentle hand touch the side of his face. When his vision clears some, he sees the spirits of his mother and father staring down at him with a caring expression on their faces. He gazes up at them and watches as they begin to become translucent. A hand suddenly grabs his shoulder as he hears a familiar voice call out, "Mikhail! Mikhail!" The teenager stares with distant and unblinking eyes as the faces of his deceased parents slowly vanish and Zyloff's face appears where the face of his father was.

The teenager's facial expression looks dazed and his voice sounds distant as he weakly pleads in a soft tone that's barely audible, "Don't go."

He finally blinks his eyes a few times when he hears Zyloff call out again, "Mikhail!"

His vision blurs for a few seconds as he lets out a grunt of pain. "Zyloff?"

The man smiles down at him before he answers, "Yeah, everything's okay." Zyloff instinctively ducks and leans over him when he hears a nearby explosion. "We need to move. Can you walk?"

Mikhail grunts in pain again when he tries to move his left leg. "My leg..I can't move my leg."

Zyloff looks down at him with a sad look on his face while he examines the boy's injuries. He notices that he has several cuts on his arms and hands. His eyes widen in concern when he notices that Mikhail's left leg is broken. Although his wounds aren't fatal as long as they're treated, he can't help but feel deeply worried and concerned by his injuries. However, he also can't help but feel frustrated at the fact that he told him before they left to stay with them and Mikhail ran into the building which led to him getting hurt. Zyloff's voice sounds stern as he scolds him, "I told you to stay with us! You wasn't supposed to run off like that!"

Due to the pain in his leg as well as his arms and hands, Mikhail looks up at him with tears in his eyes as he replies, "I..I'm sorry." His eyes suddenly widen and he manages to quickly pull out his handgun and aims it up past his guardian before he pulls the trigger.

Zyloff flinches in response to the gunshot before he turns around and realizes that Mikhail shot an infantryman who was trying to sneak up on them. He looks back down at his adopted son and says, "Thanks."

With bloody and shaky hands, Mikhail puts his gun away before he looks up at Zyloff. He manages to weakly smile up at him as he asks, "Am I still in trouble?"

Zyloff smiles down at him. "No..but just be more careful next time." His eyes suddenly widen when he looks behind him and sees a large number of infantrymen swarming the street. He quickly reaches down and grabs Mikhail. "Come on. We need to move." Mikhail clenches his teeth to try not to scream due to the intense pain in his broken leg when Zyloff scoops him up like a child in his arms.

Mikhail manages to look past Zyloff's shoulder to see infantrymen beginning to surround Barrett and Kunsel. He can't help but feel confused because Zyloff is carrying him down the alley in the opposite direction. He looks at his guardian with a puzzled expression and questions him, "Where are we going? We have to help them."

Zyloff takes a deep heavy breath in response before he replies, "We can't."

Mikhail raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Um, okay..and why is that?"

The man lets out a shaky sigh. He wants to help his allies, but due to their situation he feels as if he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. He answers, "They'll be fine. You're hurt, I'm out of ammo, and there's too many of them." While carrying Mikhail, Zyloff walks behind a large brick building in an attempt to remain unseen so that they won't get caught.

"Zyloff?"

"What?"

"I think that someone's coming," Mikhail informs him in a hushed tone when he's certain that he's heard footsteps behind them just around the corner of the building. The sounds of gunfire and explosions has stopped so Mikhail knows that he probably heard footsteps coming in their direction.

Zyloff quickly yet gently sits him down against the building and picks up a large piece of wood that's leaning up against the wall. He quickly makes his way beside the corner and leans up against the wall and holds up the board like a baseball bat. When he sees a lone infantryman walk past him, he swings the board and hits him in the back of the helmet, quietly knocking him unconscious. He lays the board down and places a couple of bricks next to him in an attempt to stage it to where it looks as if the man was hit by falling bricks from a damaged building instead.

Mikhail looks at the unconscious infantryman before he looks up at Zyloff. "Sheesh, I really hope that you never get pissed off at me."

While making his way towards him, Zyloff points a finger at him and scolds, "Watch your mouth." His eyes suddenly widen when he hears several footsteps that sounds like it's coming from the other side of the building. Out of fear of being discovered, he acts fast to grab Mikhail from behind and pulls him up to his feet.

Mikhail clenches his teeth some to help stifle a pained scream. "Can you please be more careful?" he asks through clenched teeth. "My leg..mm," he attempts to say until Zyloff suddenly silences him when he puts a hand over his mouth as he pushes an unlatched door open with his back and makes his way into the building to hide from their enemies.

The man whispers in his ear, "Shh, quiet. You'll give away our position."

* * *

"Drop your weapons!" an infantryman captain shouts as several of his fellow troops surround Barrett and Kunsel.

Barrett delivers the Shin-Ra infantrymen who's standing in front of him and pointing their weapons at them a deadly and defiant glare. He refuses to give up the fight. He'd rather be dead than surrender to the likes of them.

When Kunsel sees Barrett slightly lift up his mechanical gun hand in an attempt to keep up the fight, the former SOLDIER Second Class is quick to grab him by the arm and tell him, "Don't." Barrett looks at him with an intense look of defiance in his eyes. Kunsel adds, "They'll kill us both."

After hearing Kunsel's words, Barrett begins to slowly lower his weapon. Not because of the fact that Shin-Ra will kill them where they stand if they resist, but because of the promise that he made to Marlene before they left. He promised her that he'd come back. If he surrenders now then there's a chance that he may be able to keep his promise, but if he fights them now then he'll be tragically forced to break it. His weapon morphs back into a mechanical hand as he delivers their enemies a fierce and deadly glare.

Kunsel looks at Barrett as he tells him, "We fought a good fight. We should live and fight another day." He glares at the troops from behind his helmet and smirks as he takes his sword and plants it deep into the ground. That way they can't claim his sword. Despite the fact that it's a standard sword that's issued by the company, in Kunsel's eyes no one can have it. It's his..it belongs to a SOLDIER. He's had it ever since he first made SOLDIER and it has always served him well in every single battle that he's been in. Therefore, he refuses to give it up.

Two infantrymen march up to Barrett and Kunsel and handcuff their hands behind their backs while the rest of the infantrymen aim their weapons at them. "Check them," the infantryman captain orders. The two infantrymen comply and checks Barrett and Kunsel's pockets to make sure that they're both unarmed.

"Ooh, what have we here?" one of them says as he pulls out a cell phone and a black multi-tool pocket knife out of Kunsel's pocket.

Kunsel immediately recognizes that knife as a gift that Zack gave him the day that he was promoted to SOLDIER Second Class. It's always been one of his most prized possessions, now he wishes that he would've left it at Seventh Heaven.

The infantryman holds the knife up to Kunsel and taunts, "Nice try, but you can't get nothing past us."

Kunsel calmly glares at him as he replies, "I would expect nothing less from someone who has a hard time hitting the target..with an assault rifle."

The infantryman gives Kunsel an angry glare as he roughly grips the front of his shirt. "You're in no position to be smarting off to me, traitor!"

"That's enough!" the infantryman captain shouts. The infantryman releases Kunsel's shirt as his commanding officer continues, "They're our prisoners now. Let's get them back to HQ."

"Damn Shin-Ra," Barrett says as they begin to be led towards Shin-Ra headquarters.

While being led away, Kunsel lowers his head some and looks around from behind his helmet. While looking around, his eyes wonder towards a large pile of rubble between two large buildings and sees Zack's sword beside it that's partially buried. He knows that can't stop his friend. His eyes wonder across the street to see Tifa slightly peeking her head out from behind a building. The infantrymen clearly haven't noticed the rest of his comrades. He assumes that the infantrymen must have presumed them to be dead. Kunsel looks straight ahead and keeps his head lowered as a small grin appears on his face from under his helmet. They may have lost this fight, but the war isn't over. Submission is not always as it seems.

**Thank you all for reading Chapter 8. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to review, all reviews are welcome. I'll try to get Chapter 9 posted soon. So, Mikhail's family has finally been avenged and he's injured. Barrett and Kunsel have been captured along with Jessie. They lost this fight against Shin-Ra which was supposed to be a stealthy rescue mission which really didn't work out that way for them. Wedge and Biggs is dead. And to top it all off, everyone's favorite spiky haired duo got buried in a big pile of rubble...Man, that would be quite disheartening. Well, the next chapter is going to focus a lot more on Cloud, Zack, and Tifa. I know that Mikhail and Zyloff had a couple of big scenes in this chapter and the previous one, but I'm actually gonna have them not have anymore big scenes for the rest of the story because I don't really want for them to seem like main characters. I'm actually having thoughts about making them leave for a little while or something...What do you guys think? Hopefully the firefight scene turned out good. I thought that it would be kinda cool to have a big firefight scene. I know that this chapter ends kinda open but I promise that the next chapter will pick up right where this one has left off at. Anyways, thank you for reading this and I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing except for Zyloff and Mikhail. **

**Hello everyone. Here's chapter 9 of Fight for Freedom. I hope that you all enjoy it and please feel free to leave a review. This chapter focuses a lot on Zack, Cloud, and Tifa. I think that there's a lot of nice scenes with them in this chapter. The rest of the story is actually going to focus on the main characters. Oh and the only pairings in this are Zack/Aerith and Cloud/Tifa.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 9 **

"Cloud?!" Tifa calls out after making sure that the Shin-Ra infantrymen are gone. She quickly dashes across the street towards a large pile of rubble where she saw Cloud and Zack earlier. Her heart skips a beat when she sees part of someone's leg sticking out from underneath it. She knows that it belongs to either Zack or Cloud so she immediately falls to her knees and begins to push chunks of bricks aside. While she's desperately digging for her friends, she hears footsteps behind her. She doesn't know if it's an enemy or not, but she doesn't want to take any chances. She quickly jumps to her feet and spins around as she swings a strong fist.

"Ow!"

"Zyloff! I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

The man lightly rubs the side of his face for a few seconds before he answers with a slight joke, "Sheesh, you have a hell of a punch woman."

"I'm sorry," she apologizes again.

"It's okay." He looks at her and adds in a calm tone, "Man, that's the first time that I ever got punched in the face by a woman." Zyloff isn't angry with her for hitting him. He understands that it was an accident and he doesn't blame her for being a little jumpy because they've just got done fighting in a battle. He decides to compliment, "Whoever taught you how to fight did an extremely great job."

"Thank you." She turns her attention to Mikhail who is being carried on Zyloff's shoulder. "Is he okay?"

"He has a broken leg and he passed out a few minutes ago. He'll be fine. I just gotta treat him when we get back to the Seventh Heaven."

Tifa turns her attention back on the large pile of rubble in front of her and continues digging. Before Zyloff gets a chance to help, the bricks on top of the pile begins to lightly tremble before they slide down to the ground. Tifa digs faster until an arm suddenly punches through and Cloud slowly emerges before he pushes off the remaining bricks. "Cloud?" When the blonde looks at her, she continues, "Are you alright?" Cloud takes several deep breaths as he nods in response. A look of relief instantly appears on Tifa's face after she sees that Cloud seems to be okay. While reaching down to try to get Zack, Cloud lets out a soft grunt when he feels a few sharp pains in his back. Believing that her best friend may be hurt, Tifa immediately asks him in a concerned tone, "Are you hurt?"

Cloud doesn't believe at all that it's serious. He knows that it's probably just some bruises and maybe a few cuts and scrapes. He doesn't want to worry anyone..especially Tifa. He doesn't want to lie to her but he also doesn't want to worry her. He does his best to sound convincing as he replies, "No. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy. That's all."

Since he sounded sincere, Tifa decides to take his word for it.

Cloud's bright blue eyes wonder down to look at Zack. The ex-SOLDIER has his eyes closed and he has a small gash on the left side of his forehead by his hair. Cloud immediately checks his pulse on the side of his best friend's neck. After discovering that his pulse is normal and he's just unconscious, Cloud reaches down again and gently grabs his best friend. He pulls him up to his feet before he gently tosses him over his left shoulder, ignoring the pain in his back as he does so. He looks at Tifa and Zyloff, "Are you guys alright?"

"Yes," Tifa answers as she nods her head.

While carrying his older friend on his shoulder, Cloud grabs his sword and sheaths it on his back before he makes his way back to the pile of rubble and grabs Zack's Buster Sword with his free hand. It doesn't take him long to realize that some people are missing. Cloud finds himself looking around the area before he finally decides to ask, "Where are the others?"

Zyloff softly grunts as he shifts Mikhail's weight on his shoulder before informing him, "Barrett and Kunsel were taken by Shin-Ra." He looks down as he adds in an honest and sympathetic tone, "I wanted to help them but I was out of ammo and there were too many of them to handle."

Cloud nods in response before he asks, "Biggs and Wedge?"

Tifa sadly looks down at the ground and shakes her head.

A brief look of sympathy appears on Cloud's face. "I'm sorry."

There's a brief moment of silence while Tifa finds herself seeing something sticking out of the middle of the street. She almost immediately recognizes it as Kunsel's sword so she jogs up to it with Cloud and Zyloff following her. A few loud grunts escape from her lips as she attempts to pull it out of the pavement with no success. Since Cloud knows that he's the only one who's able to remove the sword at the moment, he hands the Buster Sword to Tifa. The young woman holds onto the handle while the tip of the blade rests on the ground. She feels surprised at how heavy it is. How Zack is able to wield the sword as if it's nothing is beyond her. Cloud gently shifts Zack's weight on his shoulder some after he feels his grip on him slightly loosen before he grabs the handle of Kunsel's sword with his free hand. The blade slides out of the pavement within a couple of seconds as Cloud pulls it out with ease.

'He's strong,' Tifa thinks to herself.

Cloud offers her to hold onto Kunsel's sword in exchange for the Buster Sword as he tells her, "Here. I'll hold that and you can hang on to this." Tifa immediately does as Cloud suggests before they leave to return to the Seventh Heaven.

* * *

After they make it back to the Seventh Heaven, they immediately walk in and lock the door behind them. Tifa leans Kunsel's sword up against the wall. "Aerith? Marlene?" Tifa calls out. When there's no reply, she adds, "We're back." They find it a little odd that they're not in the room. 'Hm, it is late. Maybe she's putting Marlene to bed?' she thinks to herself. The young woman suddenly feels sad and concerned when she mentally asks herself how she's going to tell Marlene about Barrett.

"Tifa!"

The young woman immediately turns her head when she hears Marlene calling out her name. The little girl runs out of a nearby closet and desperately races up to Tifa. She kneels down and picks the young girl up before she asks, "Is everything okay? Where's Aerith?"

Marlene grabs a fistful of Tifa's shirt for comfort as she reveals, "People came."

'People?' Now Tifa, Cloud, and Zyloff are really concerned. Tifa asks in a soft and calm tone, "What did they look like?"

"They was wearing blue pants and shirts." She pauses for a few seconds before she gives them a more distinct description, "They had grey helmets with red circles at the top." She rests the side of her face against Tifa's chest and continues with what happened, "We were playing hide and seek. Aerith told me to stay in the closet until you came home and then she went with the people." Marlene looks over at Cloud and Zyloff who's still carrying Zack and Mikhail. She immediately notices someone very important who's not with them. She looks back up at Tifa and asks her, "Where's daddy?"

Tifa swallows a lump in her throat after hearing the young girl's question. She's dreading of having to tell her. She feels greatly relieved when Cloud decides to tell her in a calm and gentle tone, "He's okay. There was something that he had to do and Kunsel went with him."

Marlene looks at Cloud and asks, "When will he be back?"

Tifa tells her, "He'll be back in a few days, sweetie."

Since she trusts that Tifa would never lie to her, Marlene wraps her arms around her for a hug. She soon looks up at her with wide innocent eyes and asks, "Promise?"

Tifa manages to give her a warm smile of comfort. "Promise." While she's still carrying Marlene, she turns around to face Cloud and Zyloff. "I'm going to put her to bed. You guys can go ahead and get them in bed."

When Marlene remembers that Cloud and Zyloff are carrying Zack and Mikhail, she curiously asks Tifa while she's carrying her to her room, "Did they get hurt?"

Tifa answers, "They're okay. They're just sleeping."

Marlene asks, "Sleeping? Grown-ups take naps too?"

Tifa can't help but smile at the girl's question. "Of course they do, sweetie. Sometimes when adults get tired, they take naps just like kids."

Marlene yawns before she curiously asks, "Really?"

Tifa remains smiling. "Yep." Once she gets to the girl's bedroom, she pulls back the covers and gently lays her down.

"I miss daddy."

Tifa covers her up before telling her, "I know. I miss him too, but he'll be back soon."

"Tifa?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Why did Aerith leave?"

Tifa does her best to think of an answer. The young woman knows from what Marlene said earlier that Shin-Ra came while they were gone and took Aerith. She remains quiet before she replies, "I'm sure that she just had to go somewhere."

Marlene looks up at her and asks, "Will she be back?"

"Yeah, I think that she'll come back to visit."

Marlene yawns again before she says, "I hope so. I like her because she's really nice."

"Yeah, I like her too." When she notices how tired Marlene looks, Tifa places a gentle kiss on her forehead. She smiles down at her as she tells her, "Good night, sweetie."

Marlene's eyes begin to close in slumber as she replies, "Night, Tifa."

After the young girl falls asleep, Tifa turns the light off and leaves the room. She makes her way to the spare bedroom where the rest of the group's at to help them.

"Go ahead and lay him down there, Cloud," Tifa tells him as she points to one of the beds in the spare room that they've slept in the night before.

After he leans their swords up against the wall, Cloud carries Zack towards the bed and Zack unconsciously lets out a pained grunt as his friend gently lowers him onto the bed. Tifa gently grabs Zack's legs and lifts them up on the bed so that he's laying down on the bed properly.

"I'll get the first-aid kit," Tifa informs them as she urgently leaves to retrieve it.

Cloud sits down on the edge of the bed and he worriedly looks down at his unconscious friend until Tifa quickly walks back into the room with a first-aid kit as well as a couple of bowls filled with warm water and a few wash cloths. After sitting the supplies down on a nightstand, she asks her childhood friend, "Do you need any help cleaning his wound?"

Cloud grabs one of the wash cloths and dips it into the water and begins to gently wipe off the blood that's on the side of Zack's face as he answers, "No." Once he's finished wiping off Zack's face some, he gently pushes up on his eyelids to check for any signs of a concussion. He can't help but mentally thank his Shin-Ra military training for being trained in basic first-aid and not just combat.

"Is he okay?"

Cloud briefly looks up at her before he begins wiping his friend's face off again to make sure that he has gotten all of the blood off of Zack's face and head. "He doesn't have a concussion." He keeps his worried gaze locked on Zack as he adds, "He'll be okay." He looks across from them towards the next bed where Mikhail's laying down at with Zyloff sitting next to the bed. He's repeatedly using a weak healing materia to try to heal the unconscious teenager's leg. "Zyloff probably needs more help than me."

Tifa manages to give him a warm smile before she replies, "Okay. Let me know if you need anything." She grabs the second bowl and a wash cloth. She also grabs some gauze pads and a gauze roll before she walks up to Zyloff and asks him in a compassionate tone, "How is he?"

The man sadly looks up at her as tears threaten to breach through his eyes. He immediately focuses his attention on Mikhail again after he hears him moan in pain. He gently squeezes his hand and lightly strokes his hair to help comfort him as he softly says, "Shhh. It's okay." Mikhail stops moaning and the pained expression on his face fades away some before Zyloff answers her, "I got the bleeding to stop and I used the materia to help set the broken bone back into place. The materia healed all of the cuts on his arms and hands and it also healed the bone some but..not completely."

Tifa asks him in a kind and caring tone, "Do you need any gauze to wrap up his leg?"

Zyloff nods and tells the young woman, "I need a splint too."

Tifa remembers having some spare pieces of wood in the closet downstairs that she keeps in case the bar stools need to be repaired. "Okay, I have something that you can use. I'll go get it." Tifa gives him the gauze pads and gauze roll after she sits the bowl and the wash cloth down on a nearby table. She leaves the room to retrieve a piece of wood and she returns a moment later and leans it up against the side of the bed.

"Do you need any help?"

Zyloff shakes his head in response as he opens the gauze and begins to gently wrap up Mikhail's injury. He also ties the splint to the teenager's leg. Tifa pulls up a chair and sits beside him. When Zyloff is finished treating Mikhail's broken leg, she notices him staring down in shock at his hands which are stained with dried up blood from Mikhail's injury. After several seconds, she asks him, "Are you going to be okay?"

Zyloff takes a deep breath after he swallows a lump in his throat. His voice sounds very shaky and he looks as if he's about to become overwhelmed with sadness as he answers her, "I shouldn't have made him come."

Tifa gently places a comforting hand on his back and replies, "It's not your fault. He wanted to come."

Zyloff takes another deep breath as he runs his blood stained hands through his hair. "But he's my responsibility..I have a responsibility to look out for him and to protect him." Tears finally breach through his eyes and run down his face as he stares at his unconscious adopted son and adds, "He got hurt because of me..because I should've stopped him from going into that building. Maybe I should've just had him stay here..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." She remains quiet for a few seconds before she tells him, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but it's kind of a good thing that he came with us. If he would've stayed here then he probably would have gotten caught by Shin-Ra."

Zyloff wipes his tears away and takes about a minute to think about what Tifa said before he finally replies, "You're probably right. When Shin-Ra came here and took Aerith..I know that if Mikhail was here, he would've died to protect her and Marlene if he had to."

Tifa gives him a comforting smile before she says, "I should probably check on Marlene. I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

"Ungh."

Cloud's eyes widen as he watches Zack's eyes slowly open.

Zack gazes up at Cloud after he wakes up and asks, "Cloud?"

Cloud is quick to reply in a concerned tone, "Yeah?"

Zack immediately knows that his younger friend is worried about him just from looking at the expression on his face. He instantly decides to try to cheer his friend up. "Hey, Cloud?" Zack asks in a slightly pained tone. "Come here."

Cloud's eyes widen in concern as he leans over a bit more and asks, "Do you need anything, Zack?"

Zack suddenly gives him a big smile before he places his left hand on the back of his younger best friend's head and gently pulls him down to where Cloud's resting his head on his chest for a hug. "Everything will be okay." He takes a deep breath before telling him with a warm smile, "I love you, man." He wraps his other arm around Cloud's shoulders as he tells him, "You're my brother." He manages to softly chuckle before he adds, "I don't care what anyone says."

Cloud relaxes and takes a deep breath of comfort as Zack continues to hug him. He swallows hard when he thinks, 'How am I going to tell him that Shin-Ra took Aerith?' Cloud's worried thoughts are short lived when he feels Zack's grip on him loosen and eventually go limp as he falls asleep after a couple of minutes. Due to the pain in his back, a soft grunt escapes from Cloud's closed lips as he leans back up to look down at his sleeping friend.

* * *

Several hours pass and everyone has gone to sleep..except for Cloud. He feels like it's best for him to stay awake in case Zack or Mikhail needs anything. His eyes water some as he opens his mouth wide to yawn. He has been in here ever since they first returned from the battlefield, refusing to leave his best friend's side. He glances at the clock which reads '4:07 a.m.' He struggles to keep his eyes opened but they just keep feeling heavier and heavier as each second passes. He looks down at Zack and feels grateful at how peaceful he looks while he's sleeping. He's happy to see that his older best friend isn't in any pain from the hard blow that he took to his head. Cloud doesn't want to go to sleep, but he's just so tired that his eyes feel like they're burning from being opened for too long. He would go to sleep on his own bed, but his back is so sore that he really doesn't feel like laying on his back. He yawns a few more times and he soon finds himself leaning forward as he struggles to keep his eyes opened. His head gently comes to rest on Zack's chest as his arm wonders up to his friend's right shoulder.

There's something about this that seems familiar. His mind suddenly begins to wonder and he thinks that he may remember some things from when he had mako poisoning...He takes a deep breath when he thinks that he remembers a time when everything looked green and dark. He remembers feeling cold and he hates to admit it, but he also felt scared. Then he remembers feeling strong and protective arms wrap around him for a hug and then he instantly felt warm and brave again. His grip on Zack's shoulder slightly tightens when he remembers Zack's voice from the past tell him, _"Everything's gonna be alright."_ He can't remember where they were at in the memory..All he remembers is that Zack was always right there with him. He's not entirely sure if that's a memory or a hallucination that he thinks is a memory. Perhaps he should ask Zack about it when he wakes up? ...No..He shouldn't say anything. That's a part of his past that he prefers to forget. He greatly appreciates everything that Zack has done for him..but he just really doesn't like to be the one who's in a situation when someone else has to take care of him. He decides to stop thinking about the past situation when his eyes begin to close. He knows that Zack won't mind if he rests his eyes for just a few minutes. He takes another deep breath as his eyes finally close in slumber.

* * *

"Ungh," Zack softly moans as he starts to wake up the next morning. He finds himself looking down when he feels something resting on his chest. A big smile instantly appears on his face when he discovers that it's Cloud who has fallen asleep and is now resting his head on his chest with his hand clinging to his right shoulder. He continues looking down at his younger best friend with a warm smile because the former infantryman looks so peaceful. He's briefly reminded of various times when he was taking care of him when he had mako poisoning. During that time, Cloud made it quite clear on several occasions that he hates being alone and he always prefers to have Zack with him.

Cloud's unshakable loyalty towards him reminds Zack of an extremely loyal puppy who refuses to leave his master's side no matter what. A small smile finds its way on the ex-SOLDIER's face at that thought. He smiles even more when he remembers the nickname that Angeal gave him a long time ago. 'Zack the puppy,' he thinks in amusement as he quietly chuckles to himself. When Angeal used to call him that, he felt embarrassed by it. Now he feels amused by it. He actually misses it now. He gently rests his hand on Cloud's shoulder and lightly begins to stroke his blonde spiky hair with the other. He can't help but feel amused as he thinks, 'I guess that Cloud's my puppy now. Hmm, I wonder if I should start calling him 'Cloud the puppy'?' He thinks about it for a few seconds before he thinks, 'Na, that sounds kinda weird.' A big smile appears on his face as he continues, 'I guess that I'll just have to keep calling him 'kid' instead.'

The former SOLDIER stops stroking his hair and gently rests his hand on the back of Cloud's neck when he sees him stir. The blonde lets out a soft unconscious moan as his left hand moves from Zack's shoulder and comes to rest on his bicep. A look of peace and comfort appears on Cloud's face as he gently nuzzles the side of his face into Zack's chest as if he's a big soft pillow. Zack smiles in response as he begins to gently stroke his hair again before he thinks to himself, 'I didn't know that I make a comfortable pillow.' A deep breath leaves the ex-SOLDIER before he tells his younger best friend, "I love ya, buddy."

After a few seconds, Cloud unconsciously replies in a soft groggy tone that's just above a whisper, "Love you too, Zack."

Zack can't help but gently wrap his arms around him for a hug after hearing his younger best friend's statement. He begins to stroke his hair again after he's finished hugging him.

Cloud's eyes slowly begins to open as he lets out a groggy groan. As he wakes up more after a couple of minutes, he finds himself in the same position that he fell asleep in. It doesn't take him long to realize that his back doesn't hurt as much. He assumes that his back must have healed some as he slept. His eyes widen and he quickly sits up when he feels someone gently stroking his hair. His eyes widen a bit more in surprise when he realizes who it is. "Zack? You're okay!"

When Cloud said that, his eyes lit up which causes for Zack to be reminded of how Cloud looked at him before they left for Nibelhiem. His voice surprisingly sounded happy and immensely grateful because he knows for sure that his best friend is going to be alright. Zack smiles up at him and replies, "Of course I'm okay." As Cloud looks down at him, Zack gives him an even bigger smile and holds up his right arm. Cloud returns the smile with a smaller one of his own as he recognizes the gesture. The former infantryman holds up his right arm and their arms meet to form an 'X' shape. A simple gesture that they both have adopted several years ago as their special handshake. To them, it represents that they will be forever as one. Forever brothers-in-arms. Zack continues smiling up at him as their handshake ends and he firmly yet gently grips Cloud's right hand for reassurance. They continue looking into each other's bright blue mako eyes until Zack informs him, "My head doesn't hurt anymore. I think it healed."

They release each other's hand when Cloud looks at his head to check his wound. Cloud doesn't look or act surprised when he sees that the large cut and bruises on Zack's head is completely healed because he has seen Zack get cuts and bruises from various missions from the past. He knows that due to Zack being a former member of SOLDIER, he heals much more quickly than most people.

"Is the cut still there?"

Cloud shakes his head in response.

"Hey, Cloud." Cloud looks to see Tifa standing beside him. In an attempt to get a closer look at how Zack's doing, she leans over some and gently places her hand on Cloud's back. The blonde slightly winces in response which causes for her to suspect that he may be injured from the battle against Shin-Ra last night. Since he feels a little light headed, Zack rubs his head some and therefore doesn't seem to notice Cloud's actions. The young woman asks him, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Cloud immediately looks down at Zack in response, almost like he's waiting for his best friend to give him an answer of what he should do. Zack smiles up at him as he replies, "I'm okay. You can go."

Cloud hesitantly gets up and follows Tifa out of the room and downstairs to the bar area. She turns to face him before she asks, "Are you hurt?"

Cloud looks down and answers, "No."

Tifa knows that he's being stubborn which causes her to cross her arms. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Then why is it that whenever someone touches your back you act like it hurts?"

Cloud's eyes widen as he looks up at her with his bright blue eyes before he looks back down to the floor. "I'm fine."

Tifa knows that he's lying because he doesn't want to worry anyone, but she can't help but feel concerned. Her voice sounds much louder than what she intends as she commands, "Just let me see!"

Cloud looks up at her like a young boy who just got scolded by his mother. He looks down at the floor and turns around to face the counter.

Tifa takes a deep breath before she walks up behind him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. I just want to make sure that you're okay." Cloud's face instantly turns red when he feels her gently place her hands on his arms. "Can you please show me, Cloud?"

Cloud sits down on one of the bar stools before he tells her, "It's just a few bruises. It's nothing serious so it's nothing to worry about." He takes a deep breath and tells her, "Please don't tell Zack. When I get hurt, he always worries."

"I won't say anything," she promises.

Cloud's face turns red when he feels her pull the back of his shirt up to reveal a few large bruises around his shoulder blades. His face reddens even more when he feels her gently glide her warm fingers across his back. His eyes widen some when he feels her fingers stop at the center of his back because he just remembered that he has a scar there. His mind quickly replays the event in his memories and he shudders in response while he remembers a sharp agonizing pain shoot through his chest and out his back before a familiar and menacing voice threatened him from the past, _'Don't test me!' _

Tifa notices Cloud shuddering and her voice sounds concerned as she asks him, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Cloud quickly shakes his head. "No."

She isn't sure how Cloud got this scar. She decides to not say anything about it and gently pulls his shirt back down. She tells him in a soft and caring tone, "I wish that it didn't hurt." Cloud remains sitting down and simply nods in response. She gently rests her hands on his shoulders and tells him, "When you were gone..I really missed you, Cloud."

A feeling of shyness comes over Cloud after hearing Tifa's words. He looks down at the wooden counter in front of him before he finally manages to honestly reply, "I missed you too."

Tifa sits down beside him and a warm smile appears on her face as she asks her childhood friend, "Hey, Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

She continues smiling as she continues, "Do..do you remember that promise that you made to me a long time ago?" Cloud slightly narrows his eyes as he tries to recall what she's referring to. When Tifa notices his facial expression, a slight chuckle escapes from her before she adds, "We were kids then. You called me out to the water tower back home in Nibelhiem."

A small smile appears on Cloud's face as he fondly recalls the memory. It has always been one of his most cherished memories. His smile fades away some when he remembers that it's also shameful to him because he promised her and his mother that he'd become SOLDIER First Class but he failed at keeping that promise.

Tifa continues to reminisce the precious memory as she continues to recall, "You promised me that whenever I'm in a bind, you'd come and rescue me and be my hero."

Cloud finds himself feeling deeply disappointed at the fact that he's failed to keep her safe in the past. The reason why he wanted to become a member of SOLDIER so bad is because he wanted to become stronger so that he can protect her. He failed her when they were little kids and he's failed her again back in Nibelhiem five years ago. He finally speaks to her in a disappointed tone, "Tifa?"

She gives him a big smile as she looks at him. "Yes, Cloud?"

He continues staring down at the counter because he can't bring himself to look at her. Not after he's failed her so many times. "I...I've never made SOLDIER. I'm not famous and I'm not a hero...I..couldn't keep the promise."

Tifa replies, "That doesn't matter Cloud. You did your best. That's all that matters, because you tried." When Cloud rests his hand on the counter, she gently rests her hand on his as she tells him, "You did save me last night." She smiles at him as she says, "You'll always be my hero, Cloud." The blonde remains silent in response because he doesn't know what to say after hearing her words. Tifa can't help but feel curious, so she decides to ask him, "Why did you want to join SOLDIER so bad?"

A soft sigh escapes from Cloud's lips before he answers, "You know why."

The young woman suddenly feels confused because despite what Cloud just said, she isn't entirely sure what Cloud's reason is. "I don't think that I do."

The former infantryman remains quiet for several seconds before he finally replies, "I..I just wanted to be noticed." A deep heavy breath leaves him before he adds, "I thought that if I got stronger, then" he slightly blushes as he continues, "someone would notice me."

"Who?"

Cloud looks up at her with his wide bright blue eyes. He echos her question, "Who?" He continues looking at her as he says to her, "You..that's who." He looks back down at the counter when he feels his face redden even more after his confession.

Tifa's mouth slightly drops. Wow, did Cloud just kind of confess his love for her? What is she suppose to say to him? She remains quiet for almost a minute before she takes a deep breath. "Cloud..."

After a moment of complete silence, Cloud runs a hand through his blonde spiky hair before he finally decides to break the silence and ask, "How are we going to get the others back from Shin-Ra?"

Tifa's eyes wonder down to the counter as she tries to think of a solution to the problem. Her mind almost immediately thinks about their failed rescue attempt for Jessie last night. Unfortunately she's unable to think of an idea of how to get their friends back. She hates to say it, but she forces herself to answer, "I don't know Cloud...I guess that we're just going to have to hope for the best." After about a minute, she looks at him as she says, "They knew we were coming." When Cloud looks at her, she adds, "Shin-Ra knew..they had to."

Cloud knows that Tifa's probably right. It does make a lot of sense. He had a feeling that was the case last night before they were ambushed by Shin-Ra when he saw that the whole area of the city was evacuated. There's only one question..."How did they know?"

Tifa ponders, "Someone had to tell them..but who?" They both remain quiet for a couple of minutes as they think about the possibilities of how Shin-Ra knew about their rescue attempt.

"Jessie.."

Tifa slightly raises an eyebrow. "What?" She shakes her head in disagreement before she adds, "She wouldn't have said anything to them."

After he hears Tifa's statement, Cloud explains, "No. I mean I think that they knew that we would try to get her back."

Tifa looks straight ahead as she thinks about Cloud's shocking explanation. "They used her to lure us out to get us." She sighs in frustration at the sudden revelation. A thought suddenly crosses her mind which causes for her to ask him, "Have you told Zack about Aerith?"

Cloud shakes his head and answers, "No." He knows that he has to tell him but he really isn't sure how to explain it to him. He knows that Zack will be very worried about his girlfriend when he tells him. Cloud is really dreading that moment because he doesn't want for his older best friend to feel hurt about Aerith being abducted by Shin-Ra.

Tifa gently places her hand on his shoulder. "Cloud, I know that you mean well, but you have to tell Zack eventually."

Cloud takes a deep and heavy breath. "I know."

"Tell me what?"

Cloud and Tifa quickly turn their heads to see Zack standing in the doorway. They both had no idea that he was there..or how long he's been standing there.

**Okay, there's Chapter 9. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Hmm, personally, I think that this one's my favorite chapter in this story so far...Well anyways, what do you all think? Please feel free to leave a review. All reviews are welcome.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing except for Zyloff and Mikhail.**

**Hello everyone. I'm so sorry that it took me forever to update. But better late than never though, right? Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Just to warn you all, there is a little cussing but not a lot though, just a little bit. Something else that I think is important to warn you all about, is that there is a scene in the flashback where there's not really attempted suicide or anything. I think that it's more thoughts of suicide because he doesn't really try, just thinks about it. I'm not good at explaining it but I just wanted to give you all a bit of a warning because it's something that's a very sensitive issue. This chapter is more lighthearted in most scenes though. Well, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and hopefully it was worth the wait. Please enjoy and feel free to review.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 10**

"Jus' great. The hell we suppose to do now?" Barrett continues his rants as he paces back and forth in the small prison cell. He looks down at Kunsel and questions in a deep and stern tone, "Yer a SOLDIER boy..Why don't ya charge through the door or somethin'?"

Kunsel remains sitting on one of the bunks as he looks up at Barrett and answers in a calm tone, "The same reason why you won't blow up the door with your mechanical gun hand."

Barrett glares at him and crosses his arms in response. He finally stops pacing back and forth like a caged lion and leans his back up against the wall as he takes a deep breath. "Ya got any ideas?"

A deep breath passes through the younger man's lips before he replies, "No..not yet. I am working on it though."

"Kunsel? Barrett? Is that you?"

Both of the men quickly look around the room in alert with wide eyes after hearing the voice of a familiar young woman. "Aerith?" Kunsel asks.

"Yes. I'm here," she answers.

It doesn't take long for both of the men to realize that she's in the cell next to theirs. Kunsel can't help but wonder if anyone else has been caught by Shin-Ra. He climbs up onto one of the bunks and leans towards the ventilation shaft. "Aerith, is there anyone else in there with you?"

"Yes. Nanaki is in here with me."

Barrett and Kunsel look at each other with a puzzled expression on their faces. "Who the hell's that?" Barrett asks in a loud tone so that Aerith can hear him.

Aerith climbs up onto her bunk and leans towards the vent so that they can communicate better. "He's my friend," she answers. Her voice sounds a little shaky when she informs her friends, "We need to figure a way out of here. Hojo is here."

"What?" Kunsel says in disbelief. He's always been very good at finding out information that a lot of people didn't know. However, that was one of the few things that he actually didn't know until now.

"Who?" Barrett asks.

Kunsel looks at him and explains to him, "Hojo is a scientist and he's in charge of the Science Department." Talking about the mad scientist reminds him of what happened to his friends, Zack and Cloud. A chill goes down his spine before he continues to explain, "He's in a high position in the Shin-Ra company and he's someone that you never want to cross paths with."

Barrett furrows his eyes as he tells him, "Hmph, we come across him, I'll jus' shoot his ass."

Kunsel suddenly laughs in amusement when he hears Barrett's words. Now that he said that, he kind of hopes that they do come across Hojo so that Barrett can do that. For so many people, that would be a blessing.

"What's so funny?"

The former SOLDIER 2nd Class stops laughing so that he can answer him, "That's a really good idea."

Barrett smirks in response. "Course it is." After about a minute of silence, he decides to ask him, "Think we should bust out yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Why?"

Kunsel looks at him with his bright blue mako eyes and informs him, "Because the doors and walls of these cells are solid steel and they're several inches thick. Just beyond those doors are several security cameras and armed guards. If we try to take that door down, the guards will be all over us before we even get a chance to take a step out of the cell." He looks up at the ceiling next to the door of their cell and continues, "There's also a security camera there too." When he hears Barrett sigh in frustration, he adds in a hushed tone, "Chances are they'll probably interrogate us soon. It's better to just wait until they open the doors for us. That way the doors will already be open and we could just go from there." He sits down on the bunk again. "We would still need to be careful though because a lot of guards patrol these hallways and there's a security room just down the hall."

Barrett's a little amazed at how much information that Kunsel knows about this place. He has to remind himself that Kunsel did in fact used to work here. So of course he's going to know his way around. Perhaps having Kunsel, Zack, and Cloud on his side isn't a bad thing after all. They have helped them out quite a bit already. However, he's still not entirely sure if he can trust them or not because all three of them used to work for Shin-Ra..But perhaps he was wrong about them...

* * *

Zack takes a few steps towards Cloud as he asks again, "Tell me what?"

Cloud takes a deep breath and looks down at the floor as he tells him, "Shin-Ra took Aerith while we were gone yesterday." He keeps his eyes locked on the floor because he doesn't want to see the look of worry and hurt on his friend's face.

Zack's jaw instantly drops when he hears Cloud's words. "What?! Why didn't you tell me that Shin-Ra caught her sooner?!" Zack loudly questions Cloud as he furrows his eyes. He's not really angry with Cloud, just at the situation. He believes that Cloud should have told him before however because Aerith is his girlfriend and therefore he has the right to know.

Cloud looks up at him and answers, "I'm sorry, Zack. I wasn't sure how to tell you."

Zack replies in a low harsh tone, "All that you had to do was walk up to me and say it."

For once, Cloud actually feels intimidated by his older best friend. He knows that he should have told him that earlier. The reason why he didn't was because he actually wasn't sure how to tell him that. Zack was also injured at that time too and he didn't want for him to worry. Cloud slightly narrows his eyes and keeps his bright blue mako eyes locked on Zack's as he tells him in a stern tone, "You were hurt. I didn't tell you because it was best for you to heal first."

Zack understands his friend's reasons and he knows that he means well..however, his frustration gets the better of him as he shouts, "I don't care! You know what Shin-Ra does to people, Cloud!" He runs his hands through his black spiky hair as thoughts begin to sink into his mind of what Shin-Ra may do to her. He remembers Cissnei telling him a long time ago that Aerith is the last of the Ancients. His heart feels incredibly heavy now that he knows that Shin-Ra has her.

Cloud remains quiet as he stares at Zack in response. Zack's right..him and Zack both know what Shin-Ra does to people..After a few seconds, he grabs his sword and marches towards the door to leave.

"Cloud?" He turns around to see Tifa standing beside him with a worried look on her face. "Where are you going?"

"To get our friends back. We're not going to get anything done if we just sit here and argue."

She decides to remind him, "But..the last time that we tried, it didn't go so well."

He looks at her with his bright blue mako eyes and replies with a stern tone that's full of determination, "This time will be different."

"I'll go," Zack says in a tone that sounds calmer than before after he grabs the Buster Sword and sheathes it on his back.

Cloud looks at him and replies, "I'm going."

"Not without me you're not." The older man manages a faint smile as he forces a small joke, "And if you leave without me, I'll kick your ass."

Cloud remains quiet in response because he knows better than to argue with Zack. Once Zack has his mind set on something than it's nearly impossible to talk him out of it. Cloud sheathes his sword on his back before he looks at his older best friend. "Alright, let's go."

Tifa really wants to go with them. However, she thinks that it's best for her to stay here because someone needs to watch Marlene. Although Zyloff's here, he's busy watching over Mikhail. So she knows that she should stay here to watch Marlene and in case Zyloff needs any help. She watches as they march towards the door. "Cloud?" When Cloud turns around to face her, she keeps her worried gaze locked on him as she tells her friends, "Please be careful, okay?"

The former infantryman gives her a small smile of reassurance and nods. "Yeah."

After they leave, they quickly make their way back to the previous battlefield. "Whoa," Zack says in surprise when he sees a lot of Shin-Ra infantrymen patrolling the streets. Him and Cloud quickly run between two tall buildings in an alley to stay out of sight. He turns to Cloud and orders in a hushed tone, "Stay behind the buildings and follow me." Cloud nods in response. They both carefully move as they use the buildings as cover until they finally find themselves standing in front of the towering Shin-Ra building.

While they both gaze up at their previous headquarters, Cloud finally breaks the silence, "We should probably sneak in."

Zack looks at him and agrees, "Yeah." He looks to his left and orders, "Come on. There's an entrance over here." They march inside to be greeted by what looks like about a hundred flights of stairs. Zack softly chuckles as the scene brings back memories. He looks at his younger best friend and asks him, "Remember when we used to race up and down these steps?"

A small smile finds its way on Cloud's face as he recalls that memory before he answers, "Yeah. You always won."

Zack laughs and says, "Yep. Those were the days." He playfully nudges Cloud's side with his elbow and jokes, "Kept ya on your toes though, buddy." Zack wouldn't mind racing Cloud to the top of the stairs for old times sake. Now that Cloud is just as capable of superhuman abilities like him, he wonders who would win...He discards the idea when he reminds himself the reason why they're here and they need to move swift and be as quiet as possible to save their friends before they begin to make their way up the steps.

When they finally make it up to the top, Zack slightly opens the door and carefully peeks his head out to see if it's clear. Once he sees four Shin-Ra infantrymen guarding the doors on the other side of the room, he quickly yet quietly closes the door back.

"How does it look?"

Zack turns to Cloud and answers in a hushed tone, "There's four guards on the northern wall and they're not going anywhere."

"How are we going to get passed them?"

A deep sigh leaves Zack. "I don't know."

While they think of an idea, Cloud finds himself looking around the area until his eyes seem to wonder up to the ceiling. A small smirk suddenly appears on his face when he sees a ventilation shaft because it seems to be the solution to their problem and it looks big enough for him and Zack to crawl through. He turns to Zack to get his attention. "Hey, Zack?"

"Huh?" he asks as he looks at his younger best friend.

Cloud points up to the vent as he asks him, "What about that?"

Zack looks up to see what Cloud's pointing at. He gives his friend a proud smile as he tells him, "Now you see? This is exactly why we make an awesome team."

A small smile finds its way on Cloud's face after hearing Zack's words.

"Give me a boost."

Cloud immediately does as he's told as he braces himself and positions his hands to where Zack has a place to put his foot. With a lot of help from Cloud, Zack's able to reach the vent. Due to the constant weight, the bottom of Zack's boot is really starting to get to his hands. Cloud grunts as he urges, "Hurry up."

After examining the vent cover, Zack suddenly looks down at him as he asks Cloud, "You wouldn't happen to have a screwdriver, would you?"

Cloud just blinks his eyes a few times before he answers, "We're mercenaries, not a couple of repairmen."

Since Cloud's response was pretty much no, Zack says, "Okay. I guess that I'll just open it my way."

The former infantryman looks up to see what his older best friend is doing when he hears what sounds like a soft scraping sound. It sounds like metal scraping against metal but surprisingly, it's not too loud. Of course, Cloud doesn't care how Zack gets the vent open as long as it's not too loud so that they won't get caught.

The former SOLDIER finally climbs inside of the ventilation shaft after he informs him, "I got it, buddy. It's one of those ones that swings open. There was a lot of screws in it though." Once he's inside and manages to turn around, he looks down at his friend and sarcastically adds, "By the time that we leave, Shin-Ra's gonna need a couple of repairmen."

Cloud looks up to see what Zack's referring to. He isn't too surprised to see that there's several dents and scraps around the vent which indicates that Zack used his strength to pull it open. Cloud's eyes widen in alarm when he suddenly hears footsteps coming towards the door. He looks up at Zack and whispers, "Zack, someone's coming."

Zack immediately reaches his hand down to pull him up as he instructs him, "Jump Cloud. And be careful to not hit your head on the ceiling." Cloud does as he's told as he uses his superhuman abilities to jump high enough and tries to grab Zack's hand, but only to be just out of reach. "You need to jump higher," Zack tells him.

Cloud can feel his heart beginning to pound in his chest when he hears the footsteps stop right outside the door before he hears two voices speaking to each other. He jumps up again and this time, he manages to grab Zack's hand. His best friend quickly pulls him up to join him in the vent and Cloud can't help but take a deep breath of relief. He quickly pulls the vent cover back over the hole of the vent and manages to position it some to where it won't swing back open.

Zack gives him a gentle pat on the shoulder as he tells him with another proud smile, "You did good, Cloud." He manages to turn around as he says, "Come on. We need to move."

* * *

Barret takes a deep breath and leans his back against the wall of the cell. He's starting to feel a little anxious..but mostly bored. It feels like him and Kunsel have been in here forever. They've both been in here ever since they were caught and the small space is starting to make him feel a little claustrophobic. Without even looking at Kunsel, he says in a deep frustrated tone, "We're going to be stuck in here forever, ain't we?"

Kunsel rubs the back of his neck. "I doubt that we'll be in here that long." When they hear the door suddenly begin to open, both of the men quickly stand up and keep their eyes locked on the door in alert. Barret remains tense while Kunsel relaxes when he sees a young woman with red hair in a black suit with Aerith and an animal with bright red fur standing beside her. "Cissnei?"

Barret looks at Kunsel and asks him, "Ya know her?"

"Yes. She's one of my friends." The former SOLDIER 2nd Class looks at Cissnei and asks, "So, are you here to help us?"

Cissnei gives him a small smile in response. "Yeah." Her smile disappears and her eyes wander down to the floor. Her soft voice sounds a little distant as she informs them, "Something happened. The president's been assassinated.." She looks back up at them as she adds, "So, I don't really see the point in keeping all of you locked up."

Since the president's dead according to Cissnei, Barret comments in a deep tone, "Well, serves him right! One less asshole in the world!"

Kunsel shakes his head after hearing Barret's words before his bright blue mako eyes meets Cissnei's calm ones. "Who assassinated him?"

The young Turk replies, "..I'm not so sure that you'll believe me if I tell you..."

Kunsel keeps his eyes locked on hers as he calmly demands, "Who?"

She takes a deep breath before she answers in a tone that sounds surprisingly calm, "Sephiroth."

Kunsel's eyes widen in surprise and disbelief. "What?"

"Ya mean that weird general in SOLDIER?"

She looks at Barret and answers, "Yes." She looks back at Kunsel. "Masamune, Sephiroth's sword, is stuck in his back right now as we speak," she informs.

Barret replies in a deep tone, "Damn..But how can we know that you ain't lying? Ya could be leadin' us into a trap for all we know."

Cissnei knows that Barret doesn't trust her and she doesn't blame him because she does work for his enemy after all. She's not even sure if Kunsel does right now. Of course, she knows that she probably won't be able to stay with the company after this.

After he hears Barret's accusation, Kunsel intently keeps his gaze locked on Cissnei's before he suddenly turns to the older man. "She's not lying."

Barret crosses his arms and glares at Kunsel as he questions, "The hell ya know that?"

Kunsel calmly answers, "When people lie, there's a physical reaction. Their heartbeat increases, they act nervous, they breathe more heavy. The list goes on..Their eyes can also give it away."

"Awright." Barret glares at Cissnei and demands, "Where's Jessie?"

A deep breath leaves Cissnei after she hears Barret's question. She really isn't sure how to tell him what happened to her, so she decides to just tell him the truth, "Not long after she was caught, she tried to escape...She was killed by one of the guards."

"You're lying!" Barret yells. He doesn't want to believe that another one of his people was killed by Shin-Ra. He just lost Biggs and Wedge not long ago and he was hoping that he wouldn't lose Jessie too.

Cissnei looks down towards the floor. She does feel bad about what happened to Jessie and she does wish that she didn't get killed. "When she tried to escape, I tried to get to her first because I wouldn't have killed her...but the guards got to her first. There was nothing that I could do."

Before Barret has a chance to yell at her again, Kunsel says to him, "I'm sorry about Jessie, Barret. I know that it's hard, but Cissnei is telling us the truth."

"I don't...!"

The animal with the bright red fur suddenly interrupts Barret, "Are you going to argue all day or are we going to find a way out of this place?"

Barret and Kunsel's eyes widen after witnessing who was speaking. Cissnei suddenly turns around to look at the animal before she looks at Aerith. "Did you just say something?"

"No. I did."

Cissnei looks down at the animal with bright red fur and asks, "You can talk?"

The animal looks up at her and clarifies, "Of course I can speak." When he notices the strange look that everyone's giving him aside from Aerith, he adds, "I am just as capable of speaking as humans are."

Kunsel continues looking at him as he says, "Whoa. Sephiroth came back from the dead and killed the president, talking animals..I think I've seen everything." When he notices the animal roll his eyes, Kunsel is quick to add, "Sorry. I don't mean it like that. I just never seen your species before. What's your name?"

The animal with bright red fur looks up at him. "The professor called me 'Red XIII'. You can call me what you wish, but my true name is Nanaki."

Kunsel smiles and says, "I'm Kunsel." He looks at Barret and informs, "His name's Barret."

Before Kunsel gets a chance to introduce her, Cissnei tells Nanaki, "I'm Cissnei."

Although he feels as if he should've asked her sooner, Kunsel looks at Aerith and asks her, "Are you okay?"

Aerith smiles at him in response. "Yes. I'm fine."

"We should probably go," Cissnei urges.

Kunsel nods in response before they decide to leave to find a way out of the building. After they leave the cell and just before they leave the hall, they come across a few dead infantrymen. Kunsel recognizes one of the bloody bodies as the man who confiscated his cell phone and his pocket knife when they were captured. It feels as if his heart skips a beat and he swallows hard when he sees that the man's eyes are open and he has a horrified expression on his face. He slowly kneels down beside him and respectfully removes his SOLDIER helmet as he keeps his bright blue eyes locked on him. "I'm sorry.." he softly says in a sympathetic tone before he reaches into the man's pocket to retrieve his pocket knife and cell phone. He can't help but feel bad because he feels as if he's being disrespectful for disturbing the body. He quickly stuffs his recovered items in his own pocket before he reaches towards the man's face and gently glides his hand over the dead man's eyes to close them so that he looks more at peace.

"Ya know him?"

Kunsel looks up at Barret after he hears his question. "No, not him." He lets out a deep sigh and adds, "But I do know a lot of these soldiers. There was a time when a lot of them served under my command." He looks back at the dead guard and continues, "I did see this man several times before in the hallways...He served under Luxiere's command." When he notices all of the streaks of blood all over the walls and floor, he shakes his head and questions, "Who could have done this?"

Cissnei stands next to him and answers, "It was probably Sephiroth."

Kunsel looks down and shakes his head again. He knows that since Sephiroth is super human as well as the former general in SOLDIER, he was the best of the best. He has seen Sephiroth fight before and his skills are legendary. He has seen him stand alone and wipe out entire battalions of Genesis copies as if they were nothing. So far to his knowledge, the only person who has fought against Sephiroth and lived is Cloud. Unlike members of SOLDIER, Shin-Ra infantrymen don't undergo the process of being exposed to mako energy and Jenova cells, so they're just ordinary soldiers. "These men didn't stand a chance," he states after he climbs to his feet.

After several moments of marching down the hallway, Kunsel and Nanaki suddenly stops in their tracks when they think that they hear something. The rest of the group stops and Cissnei looks at Kunsel and Nanaki as she asks, "Are you alright?"

"And just what are we up to?"

Cissnei, along with the rest of the group quickly turns around to see Reno and Rude standing there after hearing Reno's question. Everyone looks surprised except for Kunsel and Nanaki because they knew that they heard footsteps.

Reno looks at Rude and sarcastically says, "Check this out yo, there must be a tea party around here somewhere and they forgot to invite us."

Cissnei makes her way through the group and walks up to them.

When the two Turks see Cissnei, Reno comments in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, did you recruit them to help us fight all of those scary invisible monsters in Midgar?"

Cissnei briefly looks down to think about what he's referring to. It only takes her a few seconds to remember what she told them when they were trying to apprehend Zack, Cloud, and Aerith a couple of days ago outside of the church in the Slums. Hopefully, they won't try to pin the president's assassination on them. She looks back up at them and replies, "I know that this looks suspicious, but you have my word that we had no involvement in the president's assassination."

Rude glares at her from behind his dark sunglasses. "We saw what happened on the monitor in the security room."

"Yeah, so unless ya'll can somehow disguise yourselves as Sephiroth.." Reno finds himself getting a little side tracked as he places a hand on his chin and thinks out loud, "Man, I bet that dude goes through a lot of shampoo..."

Cissnei can't help but faintly smile at Reno's words before she suggests, "Since you know that we wasn't involved, how about you just let us leave?"

A grin suddenly appears on Reno's face as he looks at Cissnei. "I got a better idea. How about we let our meeting be a little secret and you can be on your merry way.." his grin widens as he continues, "IF you go out with me for a year?"

Rude turns his head to look at his best friend. "You'll let them go if she dates you?" Since he knows that it's against the company's rules for employees to date each other, Rude tells him in a stern tone, "You DO know that's against the company's policy, right?"

Reno shrugs and replies, "Well, I'm off duty.."

Rude is quick to remind him, "Not anymore. We were on our way to Rufus, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Reno looks at Cissnei and asks, "Do you still work for Shin-Ra as of now?"

Cissnei shakes her head. "No." She knows that she can no longer stay with Shin-Ra after her actions because it could cost her her life.

Reno smiles as he looks at Rude. "See? It's okay because we're not co-workers anymore." He looks back at Cissnei and tells her, "So, we'll date for one year."

Cissnei counters, "Six months."

Reno grins in amusement. "Ten months."

"Four."

Reno's grin widens as he asks, "Four years?" He knows that she means four months, but he's trying to trick her.

"No. Four months."

Reno's grin slightly disappears because he didn't trick her. He really was hoping that he could trick her into accidentally saying four years instead. He would love to date her for that long. Reno decides to remind her in a casual tone, "Hey, who's the one trying to cut a deal with who? After all of this, date me for seven months..I ain't going any lower. So, take it or leave it."

Cissnei lets out a deep sigh and says, "Okay."

Reno smiles in victory as he tells her, "I'm a nice guy. I'll even buy you some roses if you want and before ya know it, you'll love me so much that you'll want to marry me."

The young woman feels like laughing at his statement, however, she simply rolls her eyes and replies, "Yeah right."

Reno keeps smiling at her as he tells her, "We'll make an awesome couple. Ya know, I have red hair, you have red hair. I'm a Turk, you're..well you was a Turk."

Rude decides to stop him there because they're suppose to be in a hurry. "Reno?"

He turns to look at Rude. "Huh?"

"We really need to get to Rufus."

"Oh, yeah." Before they go their separate ways, Reno looks at Cissnei with a big grin on his face as he asks her in a playful tone, "Can I have a goodbye kiss?"

Cissnei smiles in response because Reno can just be too funny. Even in serious situations like this, he has always been one of the few people who could easily get her to laugh or smile. When he moves a little closer to her after he notices her smile, she quickly stops smiling and answers, "No."

Reno keeps his distance because he actually doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He isn't that type of guy. "Okay." Him and Rude begin to make their way down the hall in the opposite direction as they continue on their way to get to Rufus. Once they get a good distance away from the group, Reno lightly nudges Rude in the arm with his elbow and tells him with a smile, "She's playin' hard to get. I like that..it makes dating more interesting." Rude remains silent as he slightly shakes his head in response to Reno's words.

* * *

After sneaking around and going through several more ventilation shafts and elevators, Zack and Cloud come across yet another ventilation shaft. Cloud looks at Zack and asks, "Where does this one lead?"

Zack stares at the vent and rests a hand on his chin to try and think for a moment before he replies, "I think that leads on the other side of this floor."

"So, do you think that it'll lead close to the cells?"

"It should." Since the vent is a little high up on the wall, Zack presses his back against the wall and kneels down some as he tells Cloud, "Here. I'll give you a boost." Cloud doesn't waste any time and climbs up to the vent. As he opens the vent, Zack tells him, "Gaia, you're heavy."

As Cloud climbs back down after pulling the vent cover open, he looks at Zack and slightly tilts his head some. "Are you calling me fat?"

Zack softly chuckles in response as he playfully replies with a grin, "Maybe." He looks up at the vent and tells him, "You go first this time."

After Cloud climbs into the vent with Zack following close behind him, due to their joke earlier, Cloud asks him, "Do these pants make me look fat?"

His older best friend laughs and says in a playful tone, "You're an idiot, Cloud."

Cloud softly chuckles and replies, "No more than you." They continue crawling through the vent until they finally reach the vent cover a few moments later. Cloud peeks out to make sure that the coast is clear before he grips the vent cover and quietly pushes it open. He leaps out and tells Zack, "It's clear." He loudly grunts when something suddenly lands on top of him and knocks him down, pinning him to the floor without any warning. When he looks up, bright blue mako eyes meet his as he sees that it's Zack.

Zack looks down at Cloud with a big playful smile on his face as he jokes in a silly sounding tone, "Ooh, you've got the prettiest blue eyes."

Cloud slightly furrows his eyes some in annoyance to show his disapproval. He tells him in a hushed tone, "We're supposed to be quiet, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. There's no one around though." Zack looks down at Cloud and gets serious as he tells him, "I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier. Ya know, before we left. I know that it wasn't your fault. I was just so worried about Aerith and I guess that I took it out on you."

Cloud looks up at Zack and accepts his apology as he replies in a calm tone, "It's okay. I know that you didn't mean it, Zack. Sometimes when people get mad, they say things that they don't always mean." He sighs before he adds, "And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about that sooner."

"It's alright." Zack climbs up to his feet and reaches a hand down to Cloud and gives him a warm smile. "Friends?"

A small smile appears on Cloud's face as he looks up at him. "Always," he replies as he reaches up and accepts Zack's hand to help pull him up. Not long after getting up, they both find themselves looking around in alert when they suddenly hear footsteps approaching them from the next hall.

When Zack sees Cloud quickly make his way back to the vent in an attempt to hide so that they won't blow their cover, Zack grabs him by the shoulder and whispers, "There's no time for that." When he notices his younger friend looking at him as if he's silently asking him what they should do, Zack tells him in a hushed tone, "Come on. This way." He quickly leads him around the corner in a different hallway.

"Is this the right way?"

Zack's eyes widen in surprise after he hears that sweet voice because he knows that voice very well. 'That voice, it has to be..' he thinks just before he decides to carefully peek his head around the corner of the wall. "Aerith?!" Zack exclaims with a big smile on his face as his eyes light up before he quickly makes his way towards her. They give each other a big hug followed by a gentle kiss.

Cissnei finds herself looking down some as the couple embrace each other and kiss. Although she'll never admit it, she has always had a bit of a crush on Zack. She's not jealous or anything, but she does think that Aerith is very lucky to have such a nice boyfriend like Zack and she actually feels happy for them simply because they're happy.

Aerith looks up at him with her beautiful emerald green eyes and asks, "Zack? What are you doing here?"

"We came here to get you guys," he answers as their loving embrace comes to an end.

"Hey, Zack? I got my pocket knife back too." When Zack turns to Kunsel and slightly furrows his eyes in confusion to try and remember what knife that Kunsel is referring to, Kunsel reaches into his pocket and holds it up to Zack as he adds, "This one here that you gave me a long time ago when I made SOLDIER 2nd Class, remember?"

Zack's bright blue eyes widen as he stares at the knife that his friend is holding up as it automatically triggers a dark memory from the past.

* * *

_Deep underneath Shin-Ra Manor, down the hall from the lab, Zack and Cloud remained in their stone prison cell. They both hardly spent any time in their cell because they were usually in the incubators that was filled with mako energy most of the time. As he slept on his small cot in a poorly lit and cold prison cell, Zack's eyes suddenly shot opened as he woke up and sat straight up after he heard a shuffling sound. It sounded like something was being dragged across the floor. His eyes quickly wandered to Cloud's cot which was right across from his..but only to discover that he was no longer there. He was surprised when he saw that his younger best friend was sitting on the floor with his legs stretched out in front of him. As he looked through the darkness, he noticed Cloud holding on to something. When he heard a soft whimper escape from the blonde, he immediately climbed off of his cot and asked in concern, "What are you doing?"_

_Cloud's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly gazed up at Zack with a look that a young boy would give his father who's trying to hide something. "N-nothing," he stammered in a nervous sounding tone._

_When Zack's eyes trailed down towards whatever it was that the blonde was holding on to, Cloud quickly placed it behind his back in an attempt to hide it before Zack had a chance to see what it was. Now Zack felt very suspicious because Cloud was clearly trying to hide something from him. His eyes locked onto Cloud's eyes which were slightly glazed over as he asked him, "What's behind your back?"_

_Cloud began to stare down at the concrete floor because he couldn't bring himself to look at Zack at the moment..Not after what he thought about doing. "...It's nothing."_

_"Just let me see," Zack calmly ordered._

_The blonde continued to stare down at the floor as he mentally argued with himself about if he should show it to his older best friend or not._

_After he waited for about a minute, Zack urged, "Come on..Show it to me." __The former infantryman hesitated for several seconds before he slowly pulled the item out from behind him and revealed it to Zack. His eyes widened in complete disbelief when he saw that it's a small pocket knife with the blade unfolded. "How did you get that?"_

_Cloud continued to stare at the floor as he slightly furrowed his eyebrows to try to focus on what he was trying to say as he slowly spoke to reveal, "A..A guard dropped it," he briefly paused and took a deep breath before he continued, "when he...walked by a few minutes ago while..you were...sleeping." _

_When Zack tried to swoop his hand down to grab it, Cloud managed to quickly jerk the item away and held it close to him._

_Since the blade of the knife was unfolded, Zack immediately warned him, "Careful with that."_

_Cloud finally glanced up at Zack with a weak and slightly unfocused gaze which was due to all of the mako and Gaia knows what else that Hojo would drug them up with on a daily basis. Zack's eyes widened in shock when Cloud held the knife up to his own chest where his heart is and lightly pressed it up against the shirt of his infantryman uniform._

_After he witnessed his younger best friend's actions, Zack held out his hand and ordered him in a calm yet stern tone, "Give that to me." Cloud continued sitting down as he held the tip of the knife to his chest and stared off into space. As if he hadn't heard him. Zack kept his eyes locked on Cloud as he called out his name, "Cloud?" When Cloud didn't even look up at him, let alone flinch, Zack called out again a little louder, "Cloud?" The blonde blinked his eyes several times as he broke out of his mako induced trance and forced his mind back into reality before he gazed up at Zack. Now that he had his attention, once again he ordered, "Give me the knife."_

_Cloud just gave him a blank stare for several seconds until he slightly narrowed his eyes in confusion after Zack's words sank into his mind. "...But I'm the one..who found it."_

_Zack sat down beside him before he replied, "I know. I'll just hold onto it for ya, okay?"_

_"...No." The younger man continued to hold the knife up to his chest with a weak trembling hand and his voice sounded slurred from the mako treatment earlier today as he added in a tone that was completely void of emotion, "I..I think that I can do it, Zack."_

_Zack swallowed a lump in his throat after he heard Cloud's words. However, he could tell just from how Cloud acted that he wasn't exactly all the way there. His voice sounded stern as he commanded, "Give me the knife right now." __Cloud slowly turned his head to look at him with glazed over eyes that had a green mist of mako energy swirling around in them. Zack couldn't help but notice just how pale his friend looked. He knew just by the way that his younger best friend looked and acted that he clearly wasn't well. The experiments had definitely taken its toll on him. When Cloud remained silent, Zack ordered in a calm tone, "Look buddy, I promise that I won't be mad at you or anything, okay? Please just give me the knife." When Cloud didn't comply, in an attempt to try to get through to him, Zack decided to remind him in a stern tone to show his authority, "That was an order, Cloud. I am your commanding officer, so you will do as I say."_

_Cloud began to stare down at the floor again. His voice sounded weak and distant as he replied, "I..don't think that...matters..anymore, Zack."_

_When Cloud began to slip back into another mako induced trance again as he stared off into space, Zack immediately took that opportunity to quickly yet carefully snatch the knife away from him. __Zack quickly managed to fold the pocket knife up and stuffed it inside of his boot. _It took a few seconds for Cloud to even realize that he no longer had it as he snapped out of it. He gave Zack a weak glare as he made a futile attempt to try and get the small pocket knife back. When Cloud managed to weakly grab Zack's suspenders of his SOLDIER uniform, his older friend lightly pushed him onto his right side and pinned him down.

_Since Cloud was quite weak from the experiments, he barely offered any physical resistance. Weak grunts left him as he tried to yell, however, he only managed to tell him in a trembling voice that was just above a whisper, "G-Get the..hell off...of me.."_

_Zack ignored Cloud's words as he began to scold him, "Were you going to do what I thought that you were gonna do?"_

_Due to Cloud barely being able to even focus because of the mako treatments, he was unable to comprehend Zack's question so he remained completely silent in response. Unknown to them, they were here for four years now. They have both managed to remain strong during that whole time, but now for the very first time, Cloud was beginning to finally break. "I..I don't want to...be here anymore, Zack. I don't..want to...live anymore..Not like this." He had hoped for so long that they'd get away...but now he began to think that the one thing that they tried to stay away from for so long was the only way out. He was beginning to believe that in their situation at that time, death would only be a mercy._

_Zack felt terrible on the inside after he heard Cloud's confession. He realized that Cloud did have a point that was understandable. What did they have to live for in this terrible place? Being tortured and experimented on by Hojo and his assistants everyday? He knew that he had to find a way to escape from this nightmare because eventually there may not be much of Cloud or himself left to save. "I'll get us out of this mess, I swear," the former SOLDIER made his oath as he looked his friend in the eyes._

_"When?" Cloud asked as he turned his head some and gazed up at him with wide glazed over eyes that looked as if his life depended on the answer that Zack gave him._

_"Soon."_

_Once he heard his older friend's answer, all of the stress, fear, sadness, and anger that he had built up inside of him for so long began to make its way to the outside. Tears began to trail down Cloud's pale face as he began to weep in bitter despair. He didn't want to leave 'soon', he wanted to leave right now. "I want..to go home." After he mentioned 'home', he covered the side of his face with his arm and he began to cry even harder when he remembered that his mother's dead. He pressed his hands against his eyes and rubbed them in an unsuccessful attempt to try to make his tears stop. Despite his efforts, the tears kept flowing from his eyes and down his face. His whole body began to tremble and hot tears continued to roll down his face as he said out loud as if he was in shock, "So much..blo-blood."_

_Zack wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. "What?"_

_"..Mom's dead." He sobbed for several seconds before he added, "S-Sephiroth..he..." He let out a few choked sobs again because as he talked about it, his mind forcefully replayed the tragic event in his memory. He missed his mother deeply and he hated Sephiroth for what he did to his mother, Tifa, Zack, and his hometown._

_Zack's eyes widened in devastation. He didn't know what happened to Cloud's mother. He assumed that she was killed but he didn't know for sure and he couldn't bring himself to even consider to ask Cloud about it. He knew that Cloud was close to his mother. He recalled back when their lives were more..normal, when they worked for Shin-Ra before all of this happened. Whenever Cloud would get a letter from his mom, his eyes would always light up. "Cloud, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he told him in a saddened tone. Being forced to witness his younger best friend being hurt was the worst torture that's possible for him during that time. When he heard Cloud's cries, it hurt Zack so much that his heart would ache because he wasn't able to do anything about it. It felt as if he was being stabbed in the heart by several of Hojo's surgical knives. __While the former infantryman continued lying on the floor with Zack pretty much on top of him from when he pinned him down earlier, Cloud's cries softened when he felt his best friend wrap his arms around him from behind to try to hug him tight in an attempt to help calm him down. __"Shh, it's okay," Zack told him in a soft tone before he gently buried his face into Cloud's blonde spiky hair and kissed him on the back of the head to help comfort him. The former SOLDIER took a deep breath as he gently rested his chin on the back of his friend's shoulder and softly spoke to him in his ear, "When we visited your mom, ya know, when we were eating and you left for a few minutes? I promised her that I'd look out for you. We came here together and we're leaving together. So, we can't give up. You got that?" Cloud calmed himself down and nodded his head in response. Zack hugged him a little tighter as he continued, "You're my best friend, Cloud. I love you like a brother and I can't leave if you're not with me." In Zack's mind, he didn't believe that escaping was even worth trying if something happened to Cloud because he believed that they either leave together or not at all._

_Now that Cloud was calm, Zack asked him in a tender voice, "You okay now buddy?" The blonde wiped his tears away and nodded in response. __Zack gently grabbed him and helped pull him back up to where he was sitting up again as he told him, "Come here, let me see ya." Cloud hesitated for a few seconds before he weakly gazed up at him with bloodshot eyes. Zack gave him a warm comforting smile and asked, "So, are you with me on this?" He held up his right arm and a faint smile appeared on his younger friend's face as he seemed to immediately recognize the gesture. He held up his right arm and lightly pressed it against Zack's to form an 'X' shape._

_While they did their own handshake, Cloud replied, "Always.."_

_Their handshake ended and Zack kept smiling as he suggested, "Come on. We should get some sleep."_

_As Zack climbed to his feet, Cloud gazed up at him with a dazed look on his face as he revealed to him, "I can't..move my legs."_

_Zack's heart sank after he heard his younger best friend's statement. The first thing that he assumed was that they could be broken. To test his assumption, he knelt down beside him and gently placed his hands on his friend's legs just below his knees. "Can you feel that?" __When he didn't get an answer, he looked over at Cloud to see that he's staring off into space again. "Cloud? Hey, Cloud?" The former infantryman blinked his eyes several times and rubbed them to try and snap out of it before he looked at Zack. He repeated, "Can you feel that?"_

_"Yeah, I can..feel them...but I just...can't move them."_

_Zack knew that he's definitely gonna have to get them out of here. Since Cloud couldn't walk, he couldn't help but wonder how he climbed off of his cot and got himself towards the back of their cell. He assumed that he crawled and that must have been what the noise was that woke him up earlier. __He gently scooped Cloud up in his arms and sat him down on his cot. Zack managed to come up with a rescue plan for themselves, so he decided to inform him in a hushed tone, "Listen buddy, I heard one of the guards say yesterday that Hojo's going to Midgar in a few days. Just give me a week. Hojo will be gone so I promise that we'll make our move then, alright?"_

_The former infantryman blinked his eyes a few times to try to avoid from going back into another mako induced trance before he asked, "Promise?"_

_Zack gave Cloud a reassuring smile and answered, "I promise. You know that I always keep my promises." Cloud managed to give him a hopeful smile in response. Not long after Zack sat down beside him, Cloud gently rested his head against Zack's shoulder because he felt really tired. The ex-SOLDIER immediately wrapped an arm around his little brother-in-arms and playfully ruffled Cloud's hair with his other hand as he let out a soft chuckle._

_Cloud didn't feel like pulling away from him, so he told him, "Stop, Zack."_

_Zack stopped ruffling his hair as he looked at him and joked, "What?" He snickered before he teased, "Are you worried that your hair will get messed up?"_

_Cloud gave him a blank stare. How in Gaia could Zack joke around in a situation like this was beyond him. "No..It just...it makes..me feel...like a little kid."_

_"Oh." His eyes wandered to the wall on the other side of the cell. After a few seconds, a big smile appeared on Zack's face as he looked over at him and joked, "Like that?" He playfully ruffled his hair again, which earned him a faint smile from his younger friend. Zack smiled even more after he succeeded in cheering Cloud up a bit._

_They both sat there for a few silent seconds before Cloud decided to break the silence, "Zack?"_

_"Yeah, buddy?"_

_Cloud hesitated for a moment before he said, "I..I don't feel...right."_

_Zack looked at him with concern in his eyes. "What's wrong?"_

_Cloud felt very tired. He also felt a little dizzy and lightheaded. He couldn't explain it but he felt weird. However, he didn't want to worry Zack, so he just decided to tell him, "I'm..tired. I feel..so tired."_

_Unknown to Zack at that time, Cloud was in the earlier stages of getting mako poisoning. During that time however, he assumed that perhaps his younger best friend just wasn't getting enough sleep or it was from whatever it was that Hojo would inject them with almost everyday._

_"How about you get some sleep?" Zack suggested._

_The former infantryman yawned before he decided to take his older best friend's advice soon. He felt so tired that he was having a hard time keeping his eyes opened. When Cloud began to stare at the wall on the other side of the cell, he hesitated for about a minute before he decided to ask questions that he had asked himself so many times before, "Zack?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Why..are we...here?"_

_Zack sighed before he answered, "I don't know."_

_Cloud's voice sounded a little slurred as he asked, "Why did..this happen, sir?"_

_Zack leaned his back against the wall as he kept his arm wrapped around his younger friend and answered, "I don't know, kid." He couldn't help but feel frustrated at himself because Cloud wanted answers to his questions and unfortunately, Zack didn't have the answers._

_Cloud began to stare off into space for almost a minute as he went into another mako induced trance before he snapped out of it. He slightly turned his head some and finally replied with a sigh, "I'm not..a kid, Zack."_

_The former SOLDIER smiled at him and joked, "Okay then, you're a big strong man and one of these days you'll be a superhero and save the planet."_

_The former infantryman wasn't sure what to say in response to Zack's joke. Cloud stared at him before he finally replied, "I'm going...to..sleep." He continued resting his head against Zack's shoulder as his eyelids began to feel heavy and it wasn't long at all before he was almost asleep._

_"Hey, Cloud?"_

_The former infantryman answered in a groggy tone, "Huh?"_

_"Night."_

_"Good night."_

* * *

"Zack? Hey, man? Are you okay?"

Zack manages to chase the memory away as he comes back to the present after hearing Kunsel's voice. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Kunsel looks at him with a look of concern. "Are you sure?"

When Zack briefly looks over at Cloud, the former infantryman can't help but notice the look that's on Zack's face. It's the same expression that appears on his own face when he suddenly remembers...some things. Things that he believes would be better off to be forgotten forever.

The former SOLDIER 1st Class looks back at Kunsel. "Yeah." Zack smiles to help reassure his friend as he adds, "I'm just a little tired. That's all."

Kunsel has known Zack for too long so he knows that something is bothering him. "Is there anything that you want to talk to me about, Zack?"

"No. We should just get back to Seventh Heaven," Zack tells Kunsel before he begins to march away.

**Okay and there's Chapter 10. I hope that you all enjoyed it. I also really hope that Cloud didn't sound out of character in the flashback scene or anything. That scene is meant to take place about a week before Zack and Cloud escaped, so in that scene Cloud was basically starting to break and was thinking about just giving up. Personally, I do believe that Zack and Cloud are both very strong and tough characters, but everyone has their breaking point and Cloud basically reached his in that scene. I guess that I'm a little worried if he sounded out of character or not. There is a second half of that flashback which will continue either in Chapter 12 or 13. It will probably be Chapter 12 but it really kinda depends on how long Chapter 11 turns out. So it might be in Chapter 13 instead. Oh, and I also want to say that the flashbacks of what happened to Zack and Cloud in the past, isn't really the main focus of this story. I decided for them to have flashbacks once in a while because I thought that it would be more realistic to show them trying to cope with it afterwards. Ya know, traumatic events like that never goes away no matter how long ago it happened. The part in the flashback when Zack told Cloud that he promised Cloud's mother that he'd look out for him, that bit there is meant to be referring to Chapter 7 of 'On the Run for Freedom'. That story is meant to be a prequel to this one. So, of course I decided to have little references to it here and there. Anyways, I would really like to know what you all think about this chapter. So, please feel free to review to let me know what you all think. I would really appreciate that and I really hope that you all enjoyed it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing.**

**Hello everyone. Here's Chapter 11, I hope that you all enjoy it and please review. I always appreciate your reviews. I would also like to say that the name and the slogan of Zack and Cloud's mercenary business in this chapter was all clearshot01's idea. So, the credit for that goes to clearshot01. Thank you so much clearshot01. I really appreciate your help. There is a few cuss words in this chapter too by the way. Well, please enjoy the chapter.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 11**

"Jenova," Zack reads the inscription out loud as he continues staring at a small incubator in front of him. The glass of the incubator has been shattered and fragments of glass now litter the floor around it. His bright blue mako eyes suddenly widen in surprise because he remembers that name. As he takes a closer look, he can't help but notice that it looks as if it has been broken from the inside..How strange...

"Hey, Zack? We have a survivor," Cloud informs as he kneels down beside a young Shin-Ra infantryman who's been seriously wounded. He carefully removes the infantryman's helmet to reveal a young man with light brown hair that's been neatly combed back. The infantryman looks like he's about fifteen years of age.

Zack forces his mind back to reality after he heard Cloud's voice. He turns around and quickly makes his way towards his younger best friend. Stepping around several dead bodies of Shin-Ra infantrymen which are beginning to dissipate into small green specks of energy as they join the Lifestream as he does so. After he makes his way to Cloud, he kneels down next to them. Although he doesn't know this teenage boy, Zack can't help but feel concerned about him. Zack swallows a hard lump in his throat because the infantryman is so young.

Kunsel quickly removes his own helmet to get a better look at the young man. He recognizes him as one of the new recruits. "Does anyone have any potions or a healing materia?" the former SOLDIER 2nd Class asks. He quickly digs in his pockets, in search of something that can help the boy. When he discovers that no one has any, he immediately begins searching the dead bodies of the infantryman in the room who hasn't joined the Lifestream yet.

"Here. Use this," Cissnei quickly hands Cloud a piece of cloth to apply pressure on the large slash wound on the young man's side.

Cloud has no idea where she found it at, but he doesn't care about that right now. He immediately takes it and the young Shin-Ra infantryman cries out in agony when Cloud presses it against his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Zack finds himself gently grabbing the young man's hand in an attempt to help comfort him. "It's alright, kid," he tells him in a soft and compassionate tone.

The young infantryman softly whimpers in pain before he gazes up at them through half-opened eyes that are surprisingly full of trust in response.

Zack can't help but notice the look that he's giving them. He's looking at them as if they're allies rather than enemies. Zack assumes that it's because they're wearing SOLDIER uniforms except for Cissnei, who is wearing her turks uniform. Since Aerith, Barret, and Nanaki are standing far off to the side next to some large crates, the infantryman's unable to see them and therefore is unaware of their presence. Judging by the look in the infantryman's eyes, Zack believes that he has mistaken them for his fellow comrades. None of that really matters to Zack at the moment. The infantryman is hurt too bad to be a threat. Zack finds this whole situation so sad because the infantryman's quite young and he knows that somewhere out there, he has a family and friends who love him dearly.

"Here. I found this," Kunsel announces with a hopeful smile on his face as he gives Zack a healing materia that he has found on a dead infantryman.

"Thanks," Zack tells his friend as he immediately starts using the materia on the young guard. Zack can't help but smile when he sees the wound close after using it a few times on him. He feels so relieved now because he knows that he'll live.

Now that his injuries are healed, the young infantryman has the strength to lift a trembling hand and weakly grips Cloud's arm as he faintly whispers to him, "Sir? It b-broke..out."

Cloud keeps his bright blue eyes locked on him as he asks in a soft tone, "What broke out?" The infantryman's eyes suddenly start to slide shut as he begins to lose consciousness. Cloud gently shakes him on the shoulder to keep him awake so that the boy will have a chance to answer his question.

The infantryman's eyes widen in response before he gazes up at him and whispers through quivering lips, "Monster." A deep breath leaves him as his eyes slowly closes.

Cloud gives him a gentle shake on the shoulder again as he softly encourages, "Hey? Hey, hang in there." When the infantryman remains completely still and silent in response, Cloud quickly checks for a pulse on the side of his neck. He locks eyes with Zack and informs him, "He's still alive. He's just unconscious."

"Well, well, well." Zack and Cloud jump to their feet and the group immediately turns around after they hear that voice to see professor Hojo standing behind them. He fills the room with his insane laughter before he looks at Zack and Cloud after looking at Aerith and Nanaki as he tells them with a creepy smile, "My specimens have returned to me."

Cloud can feel his body tremble some as he looks at Hojo. This is the first time that he's seen the mad scientist since..Oh, dear Gaia. He really doesn't want to think about any of that. When Hojo takes a couple of steps towards them, he instantly feels like he wants to get as far away from him as possible. However, he refuses to let his past fear of Hojo get the better of him. He isn't an unarmed sixteen-year-old boy anymore. So, he stands his ground and glares at him. Like Zack, Aerith, Nanaki, and anyone else, Cloud hates being referred to as a 'specimen'. They each have a name and 'specimen' isn't it...It also brings back some terrible memories, however he pushes that out of his mind because that's definitely one of the last things that he ever wants to think about. He furrows his eyes in bitter hatred as he shouts, "Shut-up!"

Hojo looks at Cloud immediately after hearing his outburst. "I thought that I had already extracted that smart mouth out of you, specimen two." He lets out another cold laugh that shakes the group to the core. "I am the one who gave you the physical prowess and abilities of a SOLDIER 1st Class and yet you dare speak to me that way?!" He grins as he quickly reaches into a pocket on his long white lab coat. He pulls out an unseen item and lightly tosses it in front of Cloud's feet.

Cloud instinctively picks it up to get a closer look at what the item is. His eyes widen in horror as he stares down at the item in shock..It's a stainless steel surgical knife and the blade appears to be stained with a reddish color. Cloud isn't sure if it's rust or remnants of dried blood. He can feel his body tremble even more and his breathing becomes heavy and uneven as he stares down at the dreadful item in his hand. He wants to drop it, but the small surgical knife surprisingly feels heavy all of a sudden and it feels like he's unable to. The former infantryman's eyes widen even more as he continues staring down at it and his breathing becomes heavier as his mind automatically replays the terrifying sounds of his and Zack's screams from the past.

A cold smile appears on Hojo's face as he seems to notice Cloud's reaction. His smile grows wider as he asks the former infantryman, "Tell me specimen two, do you think of me every time that you use your abilities?"

Zack quickly snatches the surgical knife out of Cloud's hand and throws it in Hojo's direction before he shouts in Cloud's defense, "I'll give you something to think about you sick twisted son-of-a-bitch!"

After hearing Zack's sharp outburst, Cloud manages to snap out of it before he narrows his eyes and clenches his fists in response. He hates Hojo probably as much as he does Sephiroth.

Hojo looks at Zack as he states, "Specimen one, I heard that you killed approximately three-thousand-eight-hundred and eighty-seven Shin-Ra infantrymen altogether before your arrival to Midgar." He continues peering at Zack from behind his glasses and laughs before he adds, "Most intriguing indeed."

Barret aims his mechanical gun hand at Hojo while Zack and Cloud draw their swords before Zack narrows his eyes to deliver Hojo a scornful glare as he demands in a harsh tone, "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't tear you apart."

Hojo laughs in response and he replies, "That is not a good idea at the moment." He looks past the group as he asks, "You see them?" Everyone in the group looks behind them to see five infantrymen aiming their assault rifles at them. They feel a little surprised to see that some infantrymen has survived the attack. They look back at the mad scientist as he continues, "They won't allow that." He grins at the group as he comments, "I would like to acquire some combat data from all of you. However, I'm quite busy at the moment because Sephiroth has returned."

A shiver travels down Zack and Cloud's spine as their jaws drops after hearing Hojo's words about Sephiroth being back.

Hojo's grin appears to grow as he stares at Zack, Cloud, Aerith, and Nanaki from behind his glasses as he adds, "Perhaps I will at another time." Hojo evacuates the room before the infantrymen surround the group.

When an infantryman points his weapon at him, Barret is quick to act as he takes him down with his mechanical gun hand while Nanaki leaps onto another one and pins him to the floor. When he hears a loud noise like thunder, followed by a sharp pain in his hind leg, Nanaki yelps in pain. It doesn't take him long to realize that he's been shot. He glares down at the infantryman and snarls at him, revealing his long sharp teeth. The infantryman tightly closes his eyes and cries out as the animal leans towards him, about to finish him off. Nanaki suddenly backs off when he notices that the man has fainted. He decides to spare him since he's no longer a threat as he staggers off of him.

Cloud leaps over an infantryman before he slashes him with his sword while Zack hurls another one onto the floor, knocking him unconscious. Kunsel continues dodging the last infantryman's bullets until the man needs to reload. The former SOLDIER 2nd Class immediately takes that as his chance as he leaps towards him and punches him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Nanaki!"

Everyone turns around to see Aerith kneeling over Nanaki after hearing her worried shout. The animal lays down on the floor as he lets out a pained grunt and calmly tells her, "I'm alright. It's not that serious."

Aerith doesn't waste any time and performs her limit break, Healing Wind, on him. Everyone in the group watches in amazement as the bullet wound in Nanaki's hind leg closes up and the bullet falls out.

"Damn," Barret speaks up when Nanaki climbs back up onto his feet. "That's better than them potions."

Zack looks at Barret and asks, "Oh, you had those before?"

"Yeah."

Zack smiles as he asks, "Do those taste funny to you too?"

Barret gives him a serious glare as he replies, "Well it ain't no chocolate milk, SOLDIER boy."

Zack softly chuckles at Barret's words. "Alright, I guess that we should probably go ahead and search them for anything useful," he orders.

Everyone does as they're told and Cloud's eyes slightly widens when he discovers two x-potions on one of the infantrymen. He wonders if these will heal Mikhail's injuries. He stuffs them into his pocket as he makes a mental note to save them for Mikhail when they get back to Seventh Heaven.

When they're finished with their search, Zack tells everyone, "Come on. We need to get going."

"Wait. What about him?" Kunsel asks, referring to the young infantryman that they saved moments ago.

Zack folds his arms across his chest as he thinks for a moment. Sure Sephiroth seems to be long gone now, but leaving the boy here to wake up and see the room littered with pools of blood along with the bodies of his dead comrades certainly isn't a very generous thing to do. "Bring him. There's a place for him to rest downstairs by the gym. We'll drop him off there."

Kunsel quickly marches over to the unconscious infantryman and gently tosses him over his shoulder. The boy's wounds are completely healed thanks to that healing materia that they used on him earlier. So, Kunsel knows that he doesn't have to be extra careful of how to carry him.

Barret narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. He does think that it is good to help the boy, but he knows that Shin-Ra isn't very merciful or generous with their group at all. "Shin-Ra wouldn't do this for any of us," he tells them with resentment. Unlike the rest of the group who sees the infantryman as a young teenage boy, Barret sees him as a Shin-Ra infantryman.

"Not everyone who works for Shin-Ra is bad, Barret," Cissnei tells him. "There's a lot of good people who work here too."

"Oh." Barret glares at her after hearing her statement. "Like the ones who killed Biggs and Wedge? Or how 'bout the ones who killed Jesse? Are those the 'good people' that ya mean?"

Cissnei casually folds her arms across her chest as she calmly replies, "That isn't what I meant. I-"

Barret quickly interrupts her in a loud accusing tone, "Than what do you mean Turk?!" He glares at the young infantryman who Kunsel is carrying and adds, "He coulda been one of the ones who was shootin' at us in the streets a few days ago for all we know!"

Zack decides to speak up in defense of his friend, "Barret? That's enough." When Barret turns his head to glare at him, Zack continues, "The kid thinks that we're on his side."

Barret raises an eyebrow and questions, "The hell ya talkin' about?"

While Zack remembers the way that the infantryman looked at him as well as trying to tell them what happened here before their arrival, he tells him, "When we were helping him, he thinks that me, Cloud, Kunsel, and Cissnei are still with Shin-Ra. So if he fought against us, than he wouldn't think that."

Barret leans up against a nearby crate. "Whatever."

Zack takes a deep breath and says, "Okay everyone. Let's go." The group turns around and begin to make their way down the hallway to leave.

"Hey, Cloud?"

Cloud turns his head to see Kunsel marching beside him. "Yeah?"

"Remember when me, you, and Zack used to work here? Man, things have really changed. You know, not long after you and Zack was gone, Shin-Ra started using a lot of machines."

Cloud can't help but wonder why the company started doing that. For the most part, he feels like he doesn't really care why, but he does feel a little curious. However, he decides to remain quiet.

Even though he's met with silence, Kunsel decides to continue, "When Shin-Ra lost Sephiroth, there wasn't any more 1st Class SOLDIERs that they had. So-"

Cloud is quick to interrupt as he tells him in a bitter tone that's pointed towards Shin-Ra, "They had Zack, but they obviously didn't care." Cloud looks in front of him to see Zack and Aerith walking beside each other about ten feet away from them. He believes that if you're ever in a firefight or any bad situation, there's no other person with the skills who matches Zack. Zack is always a great friend to have on your side no matter what the situation is. In his mind, there's no one else who can ever replace his older best friend.

Kunsel lightly pats him on the shoulder and softly says, "I know." He takes a deep breath before he continues, "They basically got to where they replaced SOLDIER members with machines because the only SOLDIER members that were here was 2nd and 3rd Classes." He stuffs his hands in his pockets before he adds, "That made a lot of the guys feel quite obsolete."

Cloud simply nods his head in response and remains quiet.

"Ha! We oughta make them feel 'obsolete'!" Barret says in a loud tone. Kunsel and Cloud didn't realize that he was listening to their conversation. As they walk down the halls that's littered with dead bodies and pools of blood, Barret tells them, "Can't believe that crazy ass general did all this."

Even though Hojo claims that Sephiroth is alive, Cloud isn't sure if that's true or not. The crazy old scientist is probably up to something and may be trying to mislead them. Of course, he knows that there's a chance that Hojo may be right because he knows better than to underestimate Sephiroth. The former general of SOLDIER can't be back..can he? Cloud threw him into the endless depths of the mako reactor in Nibelheim five years ago. He ended there. Cloud's mind is full of uncertainty as he thinks to himself, 'He has to be dead, but...' Cloud takes a deep breath before he tells Barret, "Sephiroth is dead."

"The hell ya know that, Spiky Two?" Barret questions in a deep tone as he looks at Cloud.

Cloud turns to look at him and replies, "I'm the one who killed him five years ago."

"Really?"

Cloud remains quiet and nods his head in response.

"Well, that sure in the hell don't keep 'em from walkin' around and killin' everyone!"

Meanwhile, when Aerith thinks about what Hojo said, she can't help but feel a little troubled by it. She trusts and loves Zack with all of her heart. However, she has seen how fierce that Zack can be in battle and he's highly protective over the ones that he cares about which of course is a good thing. He has killed several people along with monsters when he used to work for Shin-Ra. She has known Zack for a long time and despite the fact that he's killed people, he's also very capable of being incredibly kind and sweet. She knows that if Zack really has killed all of those Shin-Ra soldiers than it was out of self-defense. She knows Zack and she knows that he would never do something like that unless he had to. However, her heart feels heavy when she thinks about the families and friends of those soldiers. She hesitates before she asks, "Zack?"

"Huh?" he replies while keeping his eyes locked on the hallway to keep an eye out for any Shin-Ra troops as they continue walking.

It's hard for her to ask him such a thing but she feels like she needs to know if it's true or not. So she looks down as she hesitantly continues with her question, "Did you really kill all of those people?"

Zack suddenly looks down at her with wide bright blue eyes. He's surprised that she has asked him that. Back then during that situation, he didn't want to kill any of those soldiers. He recognized a lot of them because they once served under his command. He did what was necessary to keep himself and Cloud alive. Shin-Ra sent countless infantrymen out to find and eliminate them. When those troops did find them, they were clearly determined to carry out their orders. So, Zack's hand was forced. He didn't want to do it but he had no choice and he certainly didn't enjoy it. "I did what I had to do," he answers in a stern tone as he locks his eyes on the hallway again.

"Zack, I'm not doubting you...But did you?"

The former SOLDIER can't help but feel a little annoyed at Aerith's persistent question. He understands why she's asking him. He doesn't like to talk or think about that is all. He did tell her what happened to him and Cloud after he fell through the roof of the church..again. Of course he didn't feel comfortable about going into detail so he left a few things out. Having to fight and kill mass numbers of infantrymen along their way here was one of them. Now that she's asking him about it, he's not going to lie to her because he knows that it's important to be honest. She is his girlfriend and he loves her after all. He looks back down at her and takes a deep breath before he answers her, "Yes." When he sees Aerith's lips part to let out a soft gasp and a saddened look appear on her face, he's quick to add in a defensive tone, "You don't understand, Aerith. We were constantly being hunted down by Shin-Ra and Cloud was very sick. I did whatever I had to do to survive and to protect my little brother." They continue walking as his eyes meet the hallway again, not realizing the last words that he just said. He truly does see Cloud like a little brother which of course is why he's so highly protective over him. When they were on the run, there was so many times when Zack felt like he was watching his younger best friend die. In the past and even now, he can't bear the thought of ever losing Cloud. They both have been through so much together and therefore, they understand each other probably more than anyone else because of what they've been through.

Aerith looks down at the floor and apologizes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Zack interrupts her as he quickly replies in a soft tone, "No. I'm sorry." He takes a deep breath and explains, "Talking about that whole past issue brings out the worst in me."

A small warm smile appears on Aerith's face as she gently wraps her arms around Zack's arm before she trails her hand down and interlocks her fingers with his in an attempt to comfort him. Her smile widens a little as she thinks about what Zack just called Cloud a moment ago. Personally, she thinks that it's really sweet that Zack and Cloud are close. Her boyfriend can be such a sweetheart and she knows that those soldiers deaths wasn't his fault. She does feel better that she told him what was on her mind instead of keeping it to herself. She reaches up and places a gentle kiss on the side of Zack's cheek.

Zack smiles down at her and gently holds her hand in response. He takes a deep breath before he decides to reveal to her, "Ya know, when all of that was going on..I really wanted to see you. I missed you so much and I couldn't let them keep me away from you. You kept me going, Aerith. You're the reason why I wanted to get to Midgar so bad." He affectionately kisses her on the head and adds, "I love you so much."

Aerith rests the side of her head against her boyfriend's arm. "I love you too, Zack. I waited for you for all that time because I really missed you too. I missed everything about you; your voice, your smile." She smiles as she tells him, "I remember when I'd be at the church with the flowers and you'd walk through those doors with a big smile on your face and.."

Zack decides to complete the rest of the sentence for her as he smiles and says, "And I'd say, 'Honey, I'm home!'" He finds himself softly laughing as he remembers the memory. He looks down at her with a bright smile on his face to see her looking up at him with the most beautiful smile. He really missed everything about her too.

Aerith softly giggles at the fond memory and she's delighted to know that he still remembers that. "I was waiting for you to walk in and do that again." She laughs before she innocently jokes, "I wasn't expecting for you to come through the roof of the church again. I was expecting for you to come through the doors instead."

Zack finds himself laughing at her words. "Yeah, me too."

When they make it to their destination and everyone stops walking, Kunsel tells everyone, "Well, this is his stop." He shifts the infantryman's weight on his shoulder before he marches into the room next to the gym. He's almost immediately greeted by an older man who works for the company. The man has on a dark blue suit and a tie, so Kunsel knows that he isn't an infantryman. When he notices the shocked expression appear on his face, he quickly explains, "He was injured." Kunsel decides to not mention his friends so that he won't attract any unwanted attention. He continues, "I found him and I used a healing materia on him. His injuries have been healed."

"Ah yes." The man points towards one of the beds and says, "You can lay him down over there. I'll get a doctor for him."

"Thanks," Kunsel says after he gently lays the young infantryman down on the bed.

A look of concern appears on the man's face when he sees the young infantryman's face. "How did he get hurt?"

"Sephiroth is back..At least that is what everyone's saying."

The man's eyes widen in disbelief immediately after he hears Kunsel's reply. "I heard that there was a security breach on the upper floors...But I certainly didn't hear anything about him being responsible for it." He makes his way towards the unconscious infantryman and immediately begins to check his side when he notices the large cut on the shirt of his infantryman uniform as well as the blood stains. A small smile of relief appears on the man's face when he notices that the infantryman's injuries are completely gone. "Do you know him?"

Kunsel's eyes wander towards the floor from underneath his helmet as he answers, "I know that he's a new recruit, sir. I do not know him personally though, sir."

"Oh, alright," the man tells him as he looks at the former SOLDIER 2nd Class. "His name's Peter. I've only been working here for about a week. He showed me around the building and introduced me to some of the other employees. He's a nice boy." Kunsel can feel a small smile appear on his face after hearing the man's short story. His eyes widen in surprise some from underneath his helmet but he manages to remain completely calm when he hears the man suddenly ask him, "What's your name young man? I'll tell him that you helped him when he wakes up."

Kunsel isn't sure if everyone who works here knows about him siding with his friends or not. He doesn't want to take any chances. So he replies in a calm tone, "Oh, I'll try and come by to see him later."

Much to Kunsel's disappointment, the man is persistent as he smiles and tells him, "Well, please just tell me your name young man."

Oh dear Gaia..Should he lie or be honest? How in the world is he going to get himself out of this one? He knows that this man won't leave him alone until he answers him. Kunsel remains completely calm. He's very smart, so he can figure this out with no problems at all. He thinks for a few seconds and he recalls the man saying that he's only been here for 'about a week'. So, chances are this man may have never even heard of him before. Him and his friends are leaving anyways. Sephiroth has also attacked this place so he figures that with such chaos, this man probably won't think much of his betrayal of Shin-Ra. He knows that he's taking a chance, despite that however he decides to reply, "Kunsel."

"Oh. My name's Todd," the man replies with a kind smile. "I'll tell Peter that you helped him, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you."

"No. Thank you so much for bringing him here to safety, Kunsel."

The former SOLDIER 2nd Class smiles before he leaves the room. He closes the door behind him and takes a deep breath of relief when he realizes that the man seemed to not know who he is.

"So? How did it go?" Zack asks as he looks at his friend.

"Better than I thought." They all begin to make their way down the hallway. Everyone feels eager to leave the building as quickly as they can. There's just something about being inside the headquarters of the enemy that makes them feel uncomfortable.

* * *

After safely making it out of the Shin-Ra building a few minutes later, they quickly begin making their way back to Seventh Heaven. On the way there, while walking beside his best friend now, Cloud decides to remind Zack something. "Hey Zack?"

Zack smiles at him. "Yeah?"

"We still don't have a name for our business."

They continue marching to their destination while Zack thinks to himself, trying to think of a name for their business. He uses his imagination, eagerly in search of something that sounds good and catchy. He feels excited when he finally thinks of a name as well as a slogan. A big smile suddenly appears on his face as he cheerfully announces, "Fair Mercenaries!" He wraps an arm around Cloud's shoulders before he continues, "And our slogan can be 'The results will be worth the Strife of our prices'." Since Cloud remains quiet in response, Zack decides to ask him, "What do you think, buddy? Do you like that one?"

"Yeah." Cloud really does like that name as well as the slogan. However, he finds himself asking his older best friend, "Why is your last name in the name and mine isn't?"

"It's in the slogan," Zack clarifies. "I think that's a good one because it has our last names in it." He says the name and the slogan again, "Fair Mercenaries; The results will be worth the Strife of our prices."

A thought suddenly dawns on Cloud before he asks, "Doesn't the slogan make our prices sound expensive?" When Zack looks at him, Cloud tells him, "It sort of sounds like people would have to struggle to afford our prices. That's what strife means."

Due to his younger best friend's words, the former SOLDIER 1st Class is suddenly reminded at how it seems like Cloud lives up to his last name because he has struggled a lot. His name really fits him. Zack smiles at him and jokes, "Well, it's not my fault that you take your name too literally, Cloud."

Cloud just looks up at him with a blank stare. He remembers a time when he looked in the dictionary in the past, just looking up various words and definitions out of boredom. He came across his first and last name. One of the definitions for 'Cloud' read, 'Something that's obscured'. The definition for 'Strife' read, 'To struggle'..Dear Gaia, that really does describe him! Oh well, he doesn't really care that he does in fact tend to live up to his name. He's never done it intentionally and he actually hasn't thought about it until now. He does like the name and the slogan that Zack has come up with. He was just sharing his thoughts and concerns to Zack because he wants to make sure that their future customers won't get the wrong impression.

Zack laughs and says to him, "I'm just kidding buddy."

Cloud replies in his usual calm tone, "I know. I like the name and the slogan is really good."

Zack smiles as he adds to reassure his younger best friend, "Our prices won't be too high. They'll be affordable because if they're not than we probably won't get very much business. Besides, we'll get the jobs done so good that people will think that we're the best."

Cloud remains quiet for several seconds before he informs Zack, "We'll need to make a sign."

Zack's smile widens as he cheerfully exclaims, "I know! We can make the sign ourselves. It'll be so cool looking!"

"Have you ever built a sign before?" Cloud asks.

Zack suddenly bursts out laughing at Cloud's question. He has built things before, but not signs. He built three flower wagons for Aerith instead.

Cloud doesn't understand why Zack's laughing. There's no way that his question was that funny, was it?

Zack pats his friend on the back before wrapping an arm around Cloud's shoulders again. He calms down after a few seconds and when he notices Cloud staring at him with a confused look on his face, Zack decides to inform him, "No, I've never built really cool looking manly signs before." He softly chuckles and jokes, "I built really cool looking manly flower wagons instead."

A small smile appears on Cloud's face after he hears Zack's confession. He jokes, "Well, instead of being mercenaries, maybe we can go into the floral business."

Aerith softly giggles before she speaks up, "I don't see why you can't do both."

"Now ya see? Aerith sees my talent," Zack jokes.

Listening to Zack talk about her flower wagons reminds Aerith of something that she's been waiting a long time for. "Zack? When all of this is over, can you please fix my wagon for me?"

"What happened to the other two?"

Aerith gently wraps her arms around her boyfriend's bicep with a smile as she says in the sweetest tone, "The one that's broken is my favorite one because it's the prettiest. Please, Zack?"

He loves her so much that Zack can't bring himself to say no to her, especially when she gives him the sweetest look like she is now. Besides, all she wants is for him to fix her flower wagon. It's nothing major. "Yeah. As soon as all of this is over, I promise that I'll fix it for you."

Aerith happily smiles and says, "Thank you, Zack." She reaches up and places a gentle kiss on his cheek.

They walk into the door of Seventh Heaven and they're immediately greeted by a young girl who's very delighted to see them. "Daddy!" Marlene exclaims with a big smile on her face when she sees Barret walk inside the bar.

When he sees her running up to him, Barret kneels down some with his arms stretched out. "Hey, baby girl!" he says as he returns the smile. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a big hug. He really missed her while he was away and he feels so happy and grateful to see her again.

Marlene hugs him back and tells him, "I missed you daddy."

"I missed you too, Marlene."

Their hug comes to an end when the young girl holds up a sheet of paper and tells him with a big innocent smile, "I drew you a picture." She turns the paper around and shows it to him.

Barret's smile widens as he looks at it. It's a picture that was drawn and brightly colored with crayons. It's a landscape picture with a big yellow sun, a bright blue sky and some large mountains in the background that's surrounded by trees. "Thank you. That's really good." He takes the picture and the girl's smile widens even more when Barret tells her, "You're my favorite artist." He climbs back up to his feet and holds her hand. "I know jus' where to put this," he says as they make their way to the fridge. He grabs a couple of magnets and hangs the girl's artwork up on the fridge.

"Welcome back," Tifa greets them as she walks into the room. She smiles as she walks over to Cloud and tells him, "I see that you and Zack brought everyone back safely."

Cloud nods in response. "Yeah." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two small bottles and hands them to Tifa. "I found these earlier. They might help Mikhail."

"Oh, thank you Cloud. I'll go ahead and give these to Zyloff." She urgently makes her way back up the steps and into the bedroom. "Zyloff? Will these work?"

Zyloff looks up at her as Tifa gives him the bottles. "X-potions? I think that these might work. Thank you." He has experience with different types of healing potions and x-potions are the most potent. He's seen bad injuries heal almost instantly after people takes them. He believes that there's a high chance for this to heal Mikhail's broken leg and he feels eager to try it. "Mikhail? Hey? Come on, wake up," he softly tells Mikhail as he gently shakes him on the shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. The teenager softly moans in response before his eyes slightly open. "Hey, son? You need to drink this okay?" He holds the bottle up to Mikhail's lips as he adds, "This will make you feel better." A smile of relief appears on Zyloff's face when he sees Mikhail drink the x-potion. After almost a minute passes, Zyloff watches in astonishment when the jagged bone that's sticking out of his leg merges with the other end of bone and sinks back into his leg before the wound closes. The man takes several deep breaths of relief as he lightly squeezes the teenager's hand in comfort. "I love ya, son," he softly tells him before he places a gentle kiss on his forehead. He lightly strokes his hair and adds, "More than anything."

"Damn. Didn't know that it could heal broken bones."

Zyloff turns his head after he hears Barret's voice to see the rest of the group watching them. He feels a little surprised because he didn't know that they were there.

Nanaki lightly places his front paws on the edge of the bed and stands himself up on his hind legs to get a closer look.

A soft moan escapes from Mikhail as he slowly begins to open his eyes. Through blurry vision, he sees what looks like two round eyes. He feels confused when he notices that the eyes are attached to a red face. He blinks his eyes a few times so that his vision is more clear. A sharp gasp leaves him when the red face continues staring down at him and it's mouth opens and says, "Hey everyone? He's waking up."

"Ahh!" Mikhail cries out in surprise when he realizes that it's a talking animal with bright red fur. He quickly sits up in alarm to see everyone looking at him.

Zack can't help but burst out in laughter after seeing Mikhail's reaction.

Zyloff smiles at Zack in amusement before he looks at Mikhail and softly tells him, "It's alright, Mikhail. He's a friend."

Nanaki places his front paws back onto the floor before he looks up at Zyloff. "Your companion will be alright."

"What is that thing?" Mikhail asks in confusion as he stares down at Nanaki.

Nanaki lets out a soft growl in annoyance to the teenager's question. "I am not a 'thing'," he clarifies.

"Uh, s-sorry," he nervously apologizes. He's never seen anyone like Nanaki before and he decides to make that clear as he adds, "I just..I never seen someone like you before." He's surprised to see Nanaki and Cissnei because he's never seen them before. He looks up at Zyloff with a confused expression on his face. "Did I miss something?"

Zyloff smiles at him and answers, "Yeah. You missed a few things."

Mikhail's eyes suddenly wanders down towards his leg and that's when he realizes something. His leg doesn't hurt anymore at all. "My leg..How did it...?"

Tifa interrupts him and answers, "Cloud found a couple of x-potions and Zyloff gave it to you."

"Really?" Mikhail asks. "What happened? Where did he find those?"

Zack informs him, "Aerith, Kunsel, and Barret got caught by Shin-Ra. So, me and Cloud went to rescue them and we met Nanaki. Cissnei helped us and they decided to join us. That's when Cloud found those potions on a guard that he took down." A few silent seconds pass before Zack remembers something that's very important. "Oh, and Sephiroth's back and he killed the president."

"Whoa..," Mikhail replies with eyes wide with surprise. He manages to climb out of bed and stands up, surprisingly with no trouble at all. He makes his way towards Cloud and nearly falls when he suddenly loses his balance some when he reaches the former infantryman. Cloud instinctively grabs him by the shoulders to catch him so that the teenager won't fall. Mikhail suddenly looks up at Cloud with a big smile on his face as he cheerfully tells him in an excited tone, "Thank you so much for getting that potion!" He tightly wraps his arms around Cloud for a hug and blurts out, "If you were a girl, I'd kiss you!" Everyone laughs at Mikhail's words except for Cloud, who's face turns about ten different shades of red from embarrassment. When Mikhail realizes what he just said and how awkward that it sounded, he tells Cloud, "Um, sorry. I'm just really happy because the pain is gone and I can walk again!"

"Uh, sure," Cloud replies after Mikhail stops hugging him. Cloud looks at Zack and Barret and suggests, "We need to go after Sephiroth."

"Damn right, SOLDIER boy! We gotta figure out what that crazy guy's up to!" Barret agrees.

"So, when do we leave?" Tifa asks.

"We gotta take Marlene somewhere safe first. I ain't leaving her here by herself," Barret tells them.

"She can stay with my mom," Aerith kindly advises in a soft tone. "My mom loves kids. She'll take good care of her, Barret."

Since Barret feels like Aerith is a very trustworthy person, he says to her, "Alright. We'll leave now then and take Marlene to your momma's before we look for that maniac."

"Where should we start the search?" Zyloff asks Barret.

Barret crosses his arms and leans against a nearby wall before he suggests, "The closest town outside of Midgar is Kalm. We oughta start there." He looks at his friends and orders, "Awright everyone! We gotta hurry the hell up and leave!"

While everyone is getting ready to leave, Nanaki looks at Mikhail after he feels his eyes on him. His feelings are proven right when he sees the teenage boy staring down at him. "What is it?"

Mikhail continues staring down at Nanaki like how a little kid would a puppy as he asks, "Can I pet you?"

Nanaki tilts his head to the side some as he finds himself unsure of how to reply to that. A few seconds pass before he decides to answer, "No. You may not."

After everyone gets ready to leave and after dropping Marlene off at Aerith's mother's house, they make their way outside and stop in front of a four door truck.

"This is going to be rather cramped," Kunsel states as he looks at everyone and the one truck that they all have to fit into. This is the first time that everyone has tried to figure out their seating arrangements for the truck ride because they didn't use the truck to take Marlene to Elmyra's house. Since it's a short distance away, they decided to walk instead.

Zack pats him on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

"I'll drive." When the others look at Zyloff after his sudden statement, he decides to add, "Ya know, since it's my truck and all."

Mikhail smiles and excitingly shouts, "I call dibs on the front passenger seat!" He quickly climbs into the truck to claim his seat.

Barret and Nanaki climb into the back of the truck while Zack looks at Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Cissnei, and Kunsel and says, "Okay, I think that some of us might have to sit on someone else's lap."

Kunsel's eyes widen as he looks at Zack then Cloud and then back over at Zack. "Don't look at me. I'll just sit in the back with Barrett and Nanaki." He marches over and climbs into the back of the truck.

Zack lightly rubs the back of his neck as he tries to figure out everyone else's seating arrangements. "Okay, let's see..Cissnei, you can sit in the middle." He barely manages to hold back a grin as he continues, "Aerith can sit with me."

"What about us?"

Zack looks at Cloud and Tifa after hearing his question. Zack fails to hold back a grin as he tells his younger best friend in a hushed tone after Tifa walks over to talk to Barret, "You and Tifa can do what me and Aerith are gonna do." When he notices the blank stare that Cloud's giving him, Zack adds, "Ya know, just have her sit on your lap."

Cloud's eyes instantly widen in surprise and his face reddens after he hears his older best friend's words. He manages to reply in a nervous tone, "Um no, I'll just sit in the back with the others."

"There isn't anymore room back there." Cloud's face reddens even more and Zack can't help but softly laugh at how shy Cloud is at the moment. "It's not a big deal, Cloud. Aerith is going to sit on my lap. Just follow my lead." He climbs into the back seat of the truck and sits down. A big and bright smile instantly appears on Zack's face when Aerith climbs into the backseat of the truck and sits on his lap. He wraps his arms around her and gently pulls her closer to him. "I'm really enjoying this truck ride already."

A small smile appears on Aerith's face after hearing her boyfriend's statement. She replies in a soft tone as she manages to hold back a laugh, "Oh, you.."

Zack softly laughs before he quickly places a gentle kiss on Aerith's cheek. "When all of this is over, how about we go on a date?"

Words couldn't explain how much that she missed Zack when he was gone. She actually feels great that Zack asked her to go on a date. She smiles and replies, "Oh Zack, I'd love to."

The former SOLDIER gently wraps his arms around her even more for a hug and affectionately kisses her on the cheek again. He tells her with a flirtatious smile, "I love you."

After witnessing Zack and Aerith's interactions together, a small sigh escapes from Cloud. Why can't it be that easy for him? Whenever him and Tifa does so much as talk to each other, he always gets nervous. Cloud takes a few deep breaths before climbing into the backseat after Cissnei climbs in and scoots over to where she's sitting in the middle seat. When Tifa walks up to him, he looks down and says in a nervous tone, "Umm, Zack said that since there isn't anymore seats left, you'll have to sit on me.." he shakes his head before he corrects himself, "I mean, my lap."

Tifa does her best to try not to laugh at Cloud's mistake in words before her face suddenly turns red some after she realizes what he just said. She looks around to notice that there really isn't anymore seats left..except for Cloud's lap. Her face reddens even more as she climbs in and sits down on her blonde knight in shining armor's lap and closes the door.

Cloud can feel his face turn ten different shades of red as he gently wraps his arms around her for safety purposes. Not long after the truck starts moving, Cloud suddenly begins to feel a little nauseous. He hates having motion sickness. He takes several deep calm breaths with hopes that it'll help calm his stomach down. It does help some as usual, but he usually feels even better if he were able to rest his head on something. He soon finds himself leaning forward and gently rests his forehead against Tifa's back. The young woman doesn't even seem to notice because she doesn't say anything. So he assumes that she doesn't mind. When they suddenly hit a large pothole, he instinctively tightens his hold on Tifa some to try and make sure that she'll remain safe during the ride. It only takes a few moments for them to pass through the gates of the city of Midgar and they make their way into the wastelands.

While holding onto Tifa, a memory from the past seems to instantly find its way to the surface of Cloud's mind. He takes a deep breath as his mind replays the memory.

* * *

_'Cloud, this is all your fault! What if she dies?!' Those words echoed in Cloud's mind over and over again as he continued to lay on the cold hard stone ground at the bottom of the mountain. Tifa's father and a couple of other men from the village had already left with Tifa. Of course, they left him there without a care in the world. He knew that it would probably be up to his mother to help him...if they even told his mother where he was at and what happened. He tried to crawl his way back to the village a few moments ago, but his legs hurt so much that it felt like they were on fire..especially his knees. A soft whimper escaped from his lips when he remembered the horrified look that was on Tifa's face when the bridge broke and she fell through but she was still holding on to the bridge. Without any hesitation, he quickly raced towards her. As soon as she saw him, she desperately cried out, "Cloud! Please help me!" He immediately grabbed her hand and did his best to help pull her up. The next thing that he knew, there was a loud snapping sound and they both fell. Everything went black afterwards._

_Cloud's mother gasped in sheer horror when she saw her nine year-old son curled up on the hard stone ground at the bottom of the mountain. She kept her eyes locked on him and she stretched her arms out as if she were trying to reach for him as she desperately raced towards him with tears streaming down her face. She gently grabbed him and held him in her arms. "Cloud?" she asked in a shaky voice that was filled with worry and concern._

_"Mother?" Cloud said as he gazed up at her. He felt terrible when he noticed that she was crying._

_She managed a smile because she felt so relieved to see that he's okay. He did cut his knees up pretty bad, but it's nothing major as long as she tended to his injuries when they got home. She felt furious at how he was just left there. How dare they leave her young son there when he needed help. She sat her anger aside for now and held him a little tighter as she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Come on, Cloud. We're going home, okay?" She picked him up, doing her best to be as gentle as possible in the process and carried him home._

_Once they got home, she gently laid him down on his bed before she got the medical supplies out and began to clean up his injuries and bandage up his knees. Hot tears began to breach through Cloud's eyes and trailed down his face as he suddenly started to cry. _

_The look on his mother's face saddened and she felt terrible because she thought that he was crying because he was in pain. She briefly stopped putting peroxide on his cuts and scrapes so that he could recover from the sharp stinging feeling. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."_

_Cloud wasn't crying because his legs hurt, he was crying because he was deeply concerned about Tifa. He knew that he did the right thing, he just didn't understand why he was being punished for it. __"Mom?" His voice sounded shaky as he continued, "D-did I do something wrong?"_

_His mother looked over at him as she answered in a soft and gentle tone, "No. You didn't do anything wrong, Cloud. I'm proud of you for trying to look out for her."_

_Tears continued to trail down his face as he gazed up at her and said, "But Tifa's dad said that she could die." His heart sank and he suddenly began to cry even more as he told her that. Cloud felt that it was his fault because he tried to save her but he failed. He thought that he wasn't strong enough..If only he were stronger...He didn't mean to be bad and let her get hurt...he was only trying to help._

_"Hey, it's okay, sweetie." When Cloud started to cry even harder, she compassionately told him, "Cloud, everything's going to be alright, okay? Just settle down." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and stroked his messy blonde spiky hair some until he calmed down and his cries softened. When she noticed that he calmed down, she gave him a warm smile while she continued to clean up his injuries again. Since she knew that it was going to take a while for all of the gashes and scrapes on his knees to heal, she told him in a gentle and caring tone, "I want for you to stay in bed. Don't you get up and be running around until you get better. If you need anything, than just let me know, okay?" _

_"Okay, mom."_

_After about two weeks had passed and his injuries had finally healed, Cloud was tired of being cooped up in the house. He really wanted to go outside and play. Although he knew that he didn't have anyone to play with, so he had no idea what to do when he got out there. There were so many times when he wished that he had a friend. Someone who would hang out with him and treat him like a person. Despite that however, he eagerly ran up to his mom and asked, "Mom? Can I go outside and play?"_

_His mother gave him a big smile as she looked down at her son. She stretched her arms out and replied, "Only if you give me a hug first."_

_A big smile appeared on the young boy's face as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, mother."_

_She gave him a kiss on the top of his head and replied, "I love you too."_

_Since she had to get some firewood for the fireplace, she decided to go outside as well. She also preferred to keep an eye on Cloud since everyone in the village didn't like him except for her and Tifa. She really didn't trust her neighbors around him and because of that, she didn't like for him to be outside by himself. "Hey, I'll go outside too. We need some firewood." Once they made their way outside, before Cloud had a chance to run off, she told him, "Stay where I can see you, Cloud."_

_Cloud turned to face her and answered, "Yes, mom." He eagerly ran to the other side of the house but stayed where his mother could still look up and see him just like he was told. He smiled when he saw a stick that was laying on the ground because his imagination quickly took over and he pretended like it was a sword. He picked it up and pretended to slay monsters as he began to play his favorite game, SOLDIER. He made several slashes and stab movements as he made sounds as if he really was fighting against monsters, "Ha, hi ya." He swiftly spun around and made another sword swipe with the stick as he imagined himself fighting against a vicious behemoth. When he spun around again, he lost his balance and fell flat on his back. His eyes widened in surprise when he heard someone giggling. He tilted his head back and it felt like his heart skipped a beat when he realized that it was Tifa. He gasped before he quickly climbed to his feet._

_When Tifa realized how uncomfortable Cloud looked, she gave him a kind smile and said, "It's okay." _

_He felt relieved and grateful to see that she's recovered. However, he knew that they weren't allowed to even come near or speak to each other. Cloud stared at her with wide blue eyes and told her in a nervous tone, "Um, we're not allowed to be around each other."_

_"I..I just wanted to thank you for helping me."_

_Cloud felt confused because he didn't help her. He tried but when he tried to help her, the bridge collapsed. He shyly looked down at the ground and replied, "You're welcome."_

_"Hey! I told you to stay away from my daughter! __What were you scheming this time, huh?!"_

_Cloud couldn't help but feel scared as he looked down at the ground and answered in a frightened and shaky voice, "N-nothing."_

_"Dad, we were just talking," Tifa told him._

_Her father turned to her and scolded, "And you! I told you to stay away from him!" He turned his attention back on Cloud. "I'm sick of you causing trouble, you damn brat!"_

_Cloud's eyes widened in terror when Tifa's father began to advance towards him with a spiteful glare. __The young boy's body trembled as he began to take a few steps back to try to put some distance between them. A soft whimper escaped from his lips when his back came in contact with the towering stone wall behind him._

_The next thing that Cloud knew, his mother defensively stood between him and Tifa's father. Cloud's mother gave the man a hard glare as she ferociously warned, "If you ever come near my son again..!" she decided to stop herself there because she was so angry that she almost threatened him and she didn't want to speak that way around two young children. Personally, she really did wish that Cloud and Tifa could be friends. Dear Gaia knew that Cloud needed a friend around his age so that he had someone to play with. Unfortunately though, Tifa's father clearly wouldn't allow that. Even though, she thought that since Cloud's father had passed away a few years ago and Tifa's mother had recently passed away, they'd be good friends because they'd both be able to relate to each other._

_"Woman, you need to keep that punk of yours under control!"_

_Cloud's mother narrowed her eyes at him even more as she yelled, "You're the one who needs to keep yourself under control!"_

_"I don't want him around my daughter!" _

_When Cloud saw Tifa's father give him a ferocious glare again after he peeked his head out from behind his mother, he found himself holding onto the back of his mother's shirt as he continued to hide behind her. _

_His mother continued to argue with him as she replied, "And I don't want you around my son!"_

_The atmosphere was thick and heavy as they started to go their own separate ways. Cloud's mother turned around and gently yet firmly grabbed Cloud's hand to guide him back inside of their house while Tifa's father did the same with Tifa. As he was being led away, he had his eyes locked on Tifa as he gave her a little wave and said in a shy and timid voice that was just above a whisper, "Bye."_

_Tifa looked at Cloud and waved back as she quietly whispered so that her father couldn't hear her, "Bye."_

* * *

Cloud's thoughts are interrupted and his mind is forced back to reality at the sudden and unexpected sounds of gunfire flying past them.

"Whoa!" Zyloff shouts in surprise when a bullet shatters the glass of the side view mirror on his truck. He takes a quick glance into the rear view mirror and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees two Shin-Ra military jeeps racing after them from behind.

Barret pounds a fist on the window of the back of the truck and shouts, "Yo! We got company!" He doesn't waste any time and begins shooting at their enemies.

Mikhail looks behind him to tell his friends, "Hey? Tell Kunsel that there are molotov cocktails in the box back there." He quickly opens the glove box and grabs a lighter. "Here." He hands it to Cissnei and adds, "They can light them with this."

Since it's harder for Zack and Cloud to turn around with Aerith and Tifa sitting on their laps, Cissnei turns around and opens the back window. "Kunsel? There are molotov cocktails in that box over there." She gives him the lighter as she says, "Use this to ignite them."

"Mikhail?" The teenager immediately turns his head to look at Zyloff after hearing his name being called. Zyloff pulls out his pistol as he orders him, "Take the wheel!"

Mikhail immediately does as he's told as he reaches over and grabs the steering wheel. Zyloff aims his pistol out the window and returns fire in an attempt to help Barret and Kunsel take down their relentless pursuers. When Mikhail notices that the truck is slowing down, he tells Zyloff, "Pops? Let up on the brakes! Hit the gas!"

Zyloff quickly complies. He's so focused on shooting at Shin-Ra right now that he didn't realize that his foot was on the brake pedal. He steps down on the gas pedal until he can't anymore in order to go as fast as possible for his truck. He carefully aims his pistol and just as he squeezes the trigger, his driver turns the wheel so sudden that the truck begins swerving all over the place, causing him to miss the target. He finds himself feeling a little annoyed as he shouts over the sounds of gunfire, "Mikhail? Do you mind?! I'm trying to help take these guys down before they take us down!"

Mikhail roughly turns the wheel again, causing for the truck to swerve around a couple of trees and the tires loudly squeal in response. "Well, we're being shot at by a bunch of crazy Shin-Ra dudes! So I'm trying to use evasive maneuvers!" He turns his head and his eyes widen in excitement when he sees Kunsel throw a molotov cocktail at one of the jeeps. The glass bottle shatters and the jeep is briefly engulfed in flames, catching its tires on fire. "Whoa! That was cool." He immediately turns back around to keep his eyes on the...Well, he can't say road because there is no road. They're currently driving on the grass right now.

Zyloff turns around to look at his adopted son to see that Mikhail looks like a kid who's having way too much fun with an exciting video game. He can't help but sigh and roll his eyes at the sight. "Stay focused and stop making us swerve all over the place! Ya keep it up and you'll flip us over!"

"Oh," is Mikhail's simple response as he realizes that Zyloff is right. He does need to be more careful. "Sorry!"

"Yeah! Awright!" Barret victoriously shouts when him and Kunsel manages to blow up one of the jeeps.

"Ahh, I think that our tires have been shot, pops!" Mikhail shouts in surprise when it's suddenly really hard for him to control the truck. "We need to stop!"

To not throw everyone in the truck foreword, Zyloff easily steps down on the brake pedal until they eventually come to a complete stop.

As soon as they stop, Cloud quickly opens the door and scoots Tifa off of his lap. He stumbles out of the truck and releases his stomach contents into the nearby bushes. Oh dear Gaia..The rough truck ride did a number on him. He was feeling sick earlier before the attack but now he feels even sicker due to motion sickness.

"Is everyone okay?" Zyloff asks in concern.

"Yeah. We're okay," Cissnei answers.

Zack places a gentle kiss on Aerith's cheek and hugs her from behind when he realizes how shaky that she seems from the attack. "You okay?" he asks her in a soft tone.

She nods her head in response. "Yes. I'm fine Zack."

He feels relieved to know that his girlfriend is okay, but he does feel concerned about Cloud too. Zack opens the door to let Aerith and himself out before he marches over to his younger best friend. "Cloud?" The former infantryman stays hunched over and coughs before getting sick again. Zack is briefly reminded of the time in Junon when he was chasing down Professor Hollander and he came across Cloud at a checkpoint. The boy was so sick from the helicopter ride and Zack felt bad for him. When Cloud stops getting sick, Zack asks in a gentle tone, "Hey, buddy? Are you okay?"

Cloud stands up straight and wipes his mouth off with his arm. "Yeah. I'm alright, Zack."

Zack gives him a small compassionate smile and lightly pats him on the shoulder. He feels relieved that Cloud isn't getting sick anymore. He's never had a problem with motion sickness before but Cloud has it pretty bad. The poor boy can't even ride in a car without taking a chance of getting sick. He reaches a hand into his pocket and pulls out a breath mint. "Here." He hands it to Cloud with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you." Cloud immediately accepts it and pops it into his mouth. He really does appreciate his older best friend giving him the breath mint so that he has a chance to get the rancid after-taste out of his mouth from getting sick earlier.

"That was a very interesting ride," Cissnei tells Zyloff and Mikhail as she leans up in her seat some.

Mikhail looks at her with a big smile on his face and reveals to her, "This was my first driving lesson."

"And thankfully it was a short one," Zyloff tells him as he runs his hands through his hair in an attempt to help relieve the adrenaline rush that's flowing through his body.

Mikhail softly laughs in amusement after hearing his adopted father's words. "So, did we win?" Just as he asks that question, he hears something that sounds like a truck or a car. He turns his head to look at a nearby hill where the sounds are coming from and his eyes widen when he sees the second Shin-Ra jeep appear as it drives over a hill. A deep sigh leaves him and he throws his head back into the headrest of his seat as he says in an annoyed tone, "Ah! Don't tell me..!"

"Hey ya'll! That jeep is comin'! Get ready!" Barret warns as him, Kunsel, and Nanaki climb out of the back of the truck.

"They never do give up easily," Zyloff says as he gets out of the truck, along with Cissnei and Mikhail.

Mikhail laughs and jokes, "Shin-Ra doesn't like to go away they're like cockroaches."

Zack's bright blue mako eyes wander towards the jeep which soon comes to a complete stop and several infantrymen leap out of it. Zack gently wraps an arm around his younger best friend's shoulders to lead him towards the truck for cover. "Come on, Cloud."

Cloud sighs in frustration at the situation. He thought that Barret, Kunsel, and Zyloff took down both of those jeeps but evidently they only took down one. A soft grunt leaves him as he draws his sword to prepare himself for a fight. He does feel a little bit better, but he still doesn't feel the greatest right now. Of course, Cloud pushes that aside right now. Him and his friends have bigger problems to worry about.

"Freeze! Put your hands where we can see them!" one of the infantrymen commands as they aim their weapons at the group. When a few seconds pass and Barret, Zyloff, and Mikhail continue aiming their weapons at them in response while Zack and Kunsel draw their swords, the infantryman adds in a loud and threatening tone, "Drop your weapons and surrender now! All of you!" When no one in the group complies, he warns, "You can't win! You're out numbered! If you don't surrender right now, we will open fire! This is your last warning!"

"Ya'll can take your damn surrender and stick it where the sun don't shine!" Barret replies with a loud booming voice as he gives their enemies a ferocious glare.

A grin appears on the infantryman captain's face in response. "Fine. Have it your way then." He grins even more and orders his comrades, "Engage the enemy! Shoot to kill!" The infantrymen begin shooting at them immediately after hearing their commanding officer's order.

The group is quick to act and immediately dive for cover behind the truck until the infantrymen cease fire to reload their weapons a moment later. Since their enemies are currently reloading, they quickly take this opportunity to come out from behind Zyloff's battered truck to fight back.

After successfully taking down a couple of infantryman, Cloud immediately hears a loud ferocious roar. He can't help but feel surprised because they're fighting Shin-Ra infantrymen and yet he knows that he just heard a monster. Before he gets a chance to turn his head to see where that noise came from, a dark humanoid creature with large dragon-like wings crashes into him. He unwillingly drops his sword as the monster slams into his chest. He grunts when the air's knocked out of him and his eyes widen when he feels himself endlessly falling all of a sudden. It doesn't take him long at all to realize that the monster has pushed him off of a nearby cliff and he's now plummeting towards the river below.

Cloud lets out a pained grunt when something suddenly catches his ankle and he finds himself hanging upside down on the cliff side. He lifts his head up to see what's stopping his fall to discover that it's a tree branch that's caught around his ankle. He quickly reaches up in a desperate attempt to free his ankle. However, his bright blue eyes locks onto the monster when the winged beast lets out a predatory snarl before it begins to fly towards him. Cloud doesn't waste any time as he shoots a fire materia at the branch. He feels relieved when the branch gives way, releasing his ankle in the process. He uses his enhanced reflexes and strength as he pushes himself away from the cliff side with his feet. The monster growls in frustration when it crashes into the side of the cliff, annoyed at the fact that the human moved out of the way just before it hit the cliff.

The former infantryman gasps in surprise when he hears the monster let out another ferocious roar. Cloud quickly turns his head to see the monster swiftly flying towards him. Before he even has a chance to react, the monster swoops down and grabs him with his clawed hands, stopping his fall. The creature glares down at him with eyes as black as coal and snarls, revealing teeth as sharp as razor blades. When the monster attempts to bite him in the shoulder, Cloud quickly punches it in the mouth, knocking out several of its teeth in the process. 'There, eat that,' he thinks with a smirk. Surprisingly, the monster briefly shakes its head in response before it furiously growls at him, keeping its strong hold on him. Cloud continues punching it in the face without holding back his immense super-human strength until the creature finally releases him. Cloud continues his rapid descent again and he can't help but feel relieved when the monster lets out a roar of defeat before it flies away. Cloud assumes that the monster has decided on giving up the fight. After the monster's retreat, Cloud continues falling and he finds himself thinking how nice it would be to fly...or teleport. That would be nice too.

**And there's Chapter 11. I hope that you all enjoyed it and please feel free to review if you'd like. I always appreciate reviews. I would like to thank clearshot01 again for helping me with the name of Zack and Cloud's mercenary business. The name as well as the slogan was all clearshot01's idea. Thank you so much clearshot01! I really do appreciate you helping me with that. Ya know, one thing that I must say is that I actually feel bad for Cloud. Ya know, because of how he was treated when he was a little kid and the poor guy has been through quite a bit even after he grew up. I actually kinda felt bad when I typed up the flashback scene in this chapter. I never really understood why people were so mean to Cloud. He's such a sweetheart...usually. I was actually wanting to put the scene in when they leave the Shin-Ra building from the game. But I decided not to simply because it wouldn't have been the same without Tifa. So I just decided to have them leave in a way that wasn't nearly as cool as in the game. I'm also going to have Zyloff and Mikhail leave in Chapter 13. There will still be some scenes with them, but only a few in future chapters. They'll stay in contact with the main characters through a cell phone once in a while and other than a few small scenes here and there, that'll probably be it. Anyways, thank you all for reading, reviewing, and for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. No copyright infringement is intended at all. I own nothing.**

**Hello everyone. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. The first flashback, the one that Zack has in this chapter is the second part of the flashback from Chapter 10 and just to warn you all it's actually kinda tense...but there is a very nice little scene towards the end of the chapter though. My favorite kind of scenes to do is scenes with Zack and Cloud because I really like those two. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy it and please feel free to review if you want to.**

**Fight for Freedom**

**Chapter 12**

After successfully taking down the Shin-Ra infantrymen, everyone takes a breath of relief. "Is anyone hurt?" Zack asks as he looks at his friends to visually scan them in search of any injuries. However, it doesn't take very long at all for him to notice that someone is missing from their group. "Where's Cloud?" Everyone turns their heads and looks around in response.

A look of concern immediately appears on Tifa's face. "Cloud?" she worriedly calls out.

The group immediately turn their heads when they hear an enemy say in a mocking tone, "If you're looking for that blonde freak, he's gone."

Zack is the first one to race up to the wounded infantryman and roughly grabs him by the collar of his shirt and forces him up on his feet before he angrily accuses him, "You know what happened to Cloud, don't you?! Where is he?!" The man laughs at Zack which only causes for the former SOLDIER to feel even more furious. The wounded infantryman grunts and cries out in pain when Zack roughly slams him up against a nearby tree. Zack delivers him a ferocious glare as he yells, "Where is my friend?!"

When the man gives him a defiant glare and remains quiet in response, Zack slams his fist hard into the tree which causes for the tree to shake so violently that it looks as if it would've fallen over if he would have hit it any harder. When the infantryman looks beside his head where Zack has punched the tree at, his eyes widen in fear when he sees a large hole with splintered wood around it. A look of fear appears on his face, however, he still manages to hold on to his stubborn attitude as his fearful expression fades away. He glares up at Zack again and furrows his eyes while he refuses to say anything.

The ex-SOLDIER is completely enraged at the entire situation. He begins to press the man up against the tree so hard that the infantryman's body may soon help bust the tree in half. Zack's bright blue eyes burn into his as he furiously demands, "You better tell me where he is now!"

When Zack stops pressing him against the tree, the man mutters under his breath, "He's dead."

Zack orders in a loud threatening tone that seems to echo through the night time darkness, "Tell me where my friend is!"

Their enemy looks up at him and smiles as he finally decides to answer, "He took a nice little tumble down the cliff."

Zack's heart sinks when he heard the man's words. His bright blue eyes immediately wander towards the nearby cliff as his expression saddens. He finally releases him and quickly races over to the cliff and looks down, hoping to see Cloud holding on to a ledge or something. "No..oh, no. No," he tells himself as he runs his hands through his black spiky hair and falls to his knees when he sees that their enemy was right. His best friend has fallen down the cliff and into the rapid moving river below.

Zack furrows his eyes in complete anger when he hears the infantryman taunt, "I told ya he's dead!" Their enemy begins to laugh, however, his laughter is put to an end when Tifa punches him in the face so hard that he falls to the ground. The man grunts in pain as he sits up. He gives Tifa a cold look as he mockingly suggests, "You pathetic fools can jump down there after him and fish him out if you want to."

Zack can't believe it. He hasn't felt like this since the last time that his younger best friend was torn away from him. He digs his gloved fingers into the ground and his eyes widen while his breathing becomes heavy as his mind seems to automatically replay the horrifying event from the past.

* * *

_Early the next morning after the whole pocket knife incident, while he slept on Cloud's cot with his younger friend resting his head against his shoulder, Zack's eyes immediately shot opened when he heard several footsteps marching down the hallway towards their cell. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat and his heart sank every time when he heard those footsteps because he knew what it meant. It's several armed guards who worked for Hojo. It was their job to bring him and Cloud to the lab so that Hojo could continue his experiments on them. The guards..well they wasn't as bad as Hojo, but they wasn't exactly very kind either._

_When the guards reached their cell, the captain glared at Zack and ordered, "Okay, break it up you two. You, on your feet." __Of course, Zack knew what he meant. They always handcuffed Zack to try to restrain him. With Cloud not being nearly as strong as Zack at that time, they never really seemed to bother with him. Zack sighed before he gently shook Cloud to wake him up before he climbed off of the cot and held his hands through the bars. After they had him handcuffed, the captain commanded him, "Step back." The ex-SOLDIER did as he was told before they opened the gate to their cell. Cloud weakly sat up in his cot, grunting as he struggled to do so. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows to glare at them when he saw the guards because like Zack, he knew what their presence signified. _

_When the guards noticed that Cloud didn't stand up like they're supposed to, one of the guards ordered him, "On your feet! Now!"_

_Zack glared at him as he told him, "He can't walk. He's had enough."_

_After he heard the former SOLDIER's statement, the guard roughly grabbed him by one of his suspenders and growled, "Was I talking to you?!" His glare seemed to intensify as he added, "Only the professor can say when he's had enough!" When the captain grabbed his shoulder, the guard immediately backed off. _

_The captain pointed at two other guards and commanded, "You two, get him." The guards did as they were told and grabbed Cloud around the arms and dragged him out of the cell. _

_Since Cloud knew where they were being taken, he tried to struggle. However, he still couldn't move his legs and his arms were weak and shaky. His body tensed up and he managed to slightly move his arms as he weakly grunted. In doing so, one of the guards roughly twisted his arm behind his back which caused for the former infantryman to cry out in pain in response. _

_Immediately when Zack witnessed them hurting his younger best friend, his anger boiled over as he instantly went into defensive mode. He held up his hands which were handcuffed and pulled his hands apart. The handcuffs quickly broke in half as several small pieces of metal fell and scattered across the hard concrete floor. The guards eyes widened in horror when they had realized that Zack was now free. The two guards dropped Cloud to try and assist their fellow troops. __Zack let out a battle cry as he hurled a couple of guards into the wall and knocked them out cold. _

_Zack's eyes widened when he saw one of the guards aim his assault rifle at him all of a sudden. Which caused him to freeze in his tracks like a spooked animal. "I'll take care of specimen one," the infantryman said with a cold grin. Zack's bright blue mako eyes wandered towards the floor to see Cloud crawling on his stomach towards the infantryman. His younger best friend pulled himself along with his arms before he grabbed the infantryman's ankle. Zack could feel his heart beat so fast that it felt as if it were about to leap out of his chest. The infantryman glared down at Cloud who gazed up at him with the most fiercest glare that he could muster. The guard told Cloud in a dark tone, "Looks like you've got a front row seat." When he took aim at Zack again, Cloud suddenly revealed a combat knife that he must have found off of one of the unconscious guards. Cloud used as much strength that he could as he roughly jabbed the blade into the man's leg. The infantryman cried out in agony and dropped his weapon. He fell back into the wall as he looked down to see that Cloud had stabbed him in the leg with a combat knife. The guard ferociously glared at the young blonde as he growled, "You son-of-a..!"_

_Cloud let out a small cry of pain when the guard suddenly backhanded him across the face. The former infantryman was dazed as his back came in to contact with the hard concrete floor as he was knocked back from the blow. He gasped when a couple of guards roughly grabbed him by the arms and forced him up on his knees._

_A wave of fury ran through Zack's body when the guard hit Cloud. He was so furious that he felt like he wanted to kill that man at the very first chance that he got. Zack didn't waste any time as he quickly began to make his way towards his younger best friend. However, a couple of guards ran in front of him and swung their night sticks at him. Zack managed to dodge their attacks as he fought against them. He felt even more furious because he wanted to help his friend and those two guards who were attacking him was in his way._

_The guard who Cloud stabbed grunted in pain as he pulled the knife out of his leg. "You're mine now, boy," he taunted Cloud as he pointed the knife at him before he stumbled towards him. While Cloud now stared off into space with a blank expression as he briefly went into a mako induced trance, he delivered Cloud a furious glare as he grabbed a handful of his blonde spiky hair and yanked his head back before he held the now bloodied knife up to him. "Look at me, damn it!"_

_The captain grabbed his arm and reminded him, "Don't have too much fun or the professor will have our heads."_

_The guard sighed in disappointment. Before he lowered the knife, he glared at Cloud and growled, "You're lucky that you're the professor's favorite..or else I'd gut you."_

_Immediately after Zack took down the guards, he grabbed an assault rifle off of one of the unconscious guards with lightning quick speeds and aimed it at the guards who had Cloud. He would have loved to pull the trigger, but he knew that he's an amateur with firearms so there was a chance that he also might hit Cloud in the process._

_"Drop your weapon!" the captain ordered. When Zack didn't immediately comply, the captain pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Cloud before he added, "Now!" _

_Zack let out a frustrated groan of defeat before he tossed the gun down and surrendered for his friend's sake. The captain's eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly got a call on his radio. "Yes?" he said as he answered it. "Yes, professor. Are you certain of that, sir?" His eyes widened even more as he continued in a nervous tone, "No, no, it's not a problem at all, sir. Okay, we'll bring him in, sir." He put his radio away before he pointed his pistol at Zack and commanded, "Get back in your cell, specimen one. The professor only wants specimen two today."_

_At this point, Zack wanted to tear these men apart. He delivered them a ferocious glare and his bright blue eyes burned into theirs. "If you hurt him, you'd better hope that I'll never get to you because if I do, I'll put an end to every single one of you" his eyes narrowed in absolute certainty just before he added, "permanently." _

_The captain only grinned in response after he heard Zack's promise before he ordered for his troops to lock Zack back inside of the cell. When the former SOLDIER tried to resist, one of the guards slammed the butt-end of his assault rifle into Zack's stomach and roughly pushed him inside of the cell. Zack landed hard on his back as the air was knocked out of him. He looked up to see the guards quickly lock the cell door._

_"Z-Zack!" Cloud cried out as the guards began to drag him away towards the lab._

_The ex-SOLDIER ignored the pain in his stomach as he immediately climbed to his feet and ran to the door after he heard Cloud's fearful sounding cry. He reached his arm through the thick solid steel bars of the cell door in a futile attempt to reach for him. "Cloud!" He began to punch at the cell door as hard as he could before he gripped the bars and tried to pull them apart in a desperate attempt to save his friend. He knew that the bars of the cell was much stronger and thicker than average cells, but he didn't care. The only thing that he did care about was to help Cloud. Despite the fact that he wasn't able to bust through the cell, he began to try a different tactic. He charged at the door and threw his body against it several times. Unfortunately the door didn't even budge. He felt like a caged animal who's cub had been torn away from him by a bunch of cruel poachers with evil intentions. It wasn't long before he heard Cloud's screams and cries of intense agony that pierced through the silence and filled the halls. Zack knew at that moment that Hojo had begun his twisted torture and experiments on him. Each and every scream and cry that Cloud made felt like knives going through Zack's heart as he was forced to listen to his younger best friend's pain and hope and pray that his friend survived the whole terrifying ordeal. A deep chill filled with dread went down Zack's spine and shook him to the core when he heard Cloud screaming out his name over and over again. He soon found himself walking to the back of the cell and crumpled to the floor and pressed his back against the wall. He held his knees tight to his chest and placed his hands over his ears while tears began to trail down his face because he couldn't stand hearing his younger best friend's screams and cries. 'How can I be a hero if I can't even save Cloud?' he questioned himself with that thought._

_After several hours which, to Zack felt more like an eternity, he heard the screams and cries finally come to an end. The silence filled Zack's heavy heart with both relief and dread because he knew that either Hojo had stopped or Cloud gave up on surviving. After a few minutes he heard footsteps walking down the hallway towards his prison cell. His heart sank when he saw two guards dragging Cloud from under the arms because his younger friend was completely limp and he looked lifeless. The captain of the guards glared at Zack and ordered, "Stand back." Zack immediately did as he was told as he kept his worried gaze locked on Cloud. Once they dragged Cloud into the cell and dropped him on the floor, they quickly left the cell and locked it behind them. Zack instantly ran to Cloud and fell to his knees next to him when he discovered that he was unconscious and gently rested a hand on his back. He hated to see Cloud in such poor condition and yet he also felt relieved of the simple fact that he was still alive._

_All of the guards left except for one who was limping, which indicated that he was the one that Cloud had stabbed earlier. He smirked at Zack through the bars as he coldly told him in a mocking tone, "Your little boyfriend kept screaming and crying around for you the whole time. The professor lost interest in him after he passed out. Then again, he was a little rough with him this time." He cruelly laughed as he walked away. _

_Zack ignored his words because he was too focused on Cloud right now. He gently rolled him over on his back and scooped him up in his arms before he sat down on one of the cots. When the ex-SOLDIER reached over his friend to grab his arm so that it wasn't limply hanging over the edge of the cot, he accidentally bumped Cloud's side which made him weakly groan in pain in response. He gently placed his arm on the cot next to him before he decided to check his friend to make sure that he was okay. Since Cloud unconsciously indicated that his side hurt, Zack gently unbuttoned Cloud's blue shirt of his infantryman uniform to check him for any injuries. His bright blue eyes widened when he saw several scars that littered his torso. No doubt that it was Hojo's doing. Zack felt disgusted by the whole scenario. When he noticed a large cut by his ribs that was still bleeding, Zack gently laid him down. He stood up and pulled the shirt of his SOLDIER 1st Class uniform off and folded it up before he sat back down and laid his friend's head down on his lap. A weak groan of pain escaped from Cloud's lips when his older friend's shirt came into contact with his wound._

_Zack gently stroked his hair and said to him in a comforting tone, "Shhh, everything's alright now, kiddo." A deep shaky breath left him as he lowered his head until his forehead gently came to rest on Cloud's shoulder. A feeling of sadness and dread seemed to consume him from the inside because he felt terrible that he wasn't able to protect his friend. He knew that Cloud had always looked up to him and since he claimed Cloud as his little brother, it was his responsibility to look out for him..but in this situation, he felt like he failed him. Zack forced himself to push those thoughts away when he reminded himself that he had to be strong and have hope for himself and Cloud. They're not going to be there forever because Zack wouldn't let that happen._

_"Hey, Zack." _

_Zack quickly looked up and turned his head after he heard someone talking. He was relieved to see that it was a young guard who's duty it was to deliver their food to their cell. This guard was never involved in escorting them to the lab like the others and he was much nicer. Unknown to Hojo and the other guards, this man previously served under Zack's command and he was helping them plot an escape attempt. The former SOLDIER briefly looked at him before his focus fell back on Cloud. His voice sounded worried and concerned as he greeted, "Hey, Daisuke."_

_The young guard lightly sat the tray of food down next to the cell. As he stood up, his expression saddened when he noticed Cloud resting his head on Zack's lap and the former SOLDIER was pressing his shirt on Cloud's injury in an attempt to help stop the bleeding. Daisuke hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Is..is he...?" _

_Before he had a chance to finish his question, Zack answered, "He's fine."_

_The guard took a deep breath before he told him in an attempt to help lighten the atmosphere, "I couldn't find any of that green tea that you guys like, but I managed to sneak in a couple of chocolate bars today."_

_"Thanks."_

_The guard turned to scan the hallway before he discreetly leaned against the bars of the cell and whispered to Zack in a hushed tone, "I got a copy of the key to the gates for you." He stuck his hand through the bars and lightly tossed it on the cot next to Zack. "Whatever you do, don't let anyone see that." When he noticed the broken handcuffs that's around Zack's wrists, he suggested, "You might want to get those off." He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a handcuff key. "Here." He tossed it to Zack. _

_After the former SOLDIER removed the handcuffs, he scooted the broken handcuffs and the handcuff key across the cot towards the young man. "Thank you."_

_Daisuke smiled in response before he stuffed the items into his pockets. He decided to inform him as he continued to speak in a hushed tone, "Hojo's leaving for Midgar tomorrow."_

_Zack looked over at him with wide eyes in surprise and relief. "I thought that it was going to be a few more days?" _

_Daisuke answered, "President Shin-Ra wants him to leave for Midgar even sooner."_

_"Why?" _

_"I don't know. All I heard was that it had something to do with Jenova.." When Zack grabbed the gate key which would unlock the main gates outside and stuffed it inside of his boot, the young guard informed him, "When he leaves, there will only be one lab assistant here and the guards will be gone too. I heard Hojo say that you guys will be kept in those weird mako tank things. You should make your move then. Just so that you know though, I won't be here either. So I won't be able to back you up..Be careful." _

_"Thanks. I owe you." _

_Daisuke gave his former commanding officer an admirable smile. "Anytime, sir..and no you don't." He grabbed a cup of water off of the tray and handed it to Zack. "You should give him some of this." Due to the fact that in the past, Zack was his commanding officer, he told him in a calm and sincere tone, "I know that according to Shin-Ra I have a new commanding officer now..but you were my commanding officer first." He bowed his head ever so slightly in respect as he added, "Colonel Fair, sir." He apparently decided to leave the tray of food there for now and left shortly afterwards. _

_Zack looked down at Cloud and lightly shook him on the shoulder some in an attempt to wake him up enough so that he could drink some water. Cloud let out a weak unconscious moan in response before Zack said to him, "Hey, buddy? Come on, you need to drink some water." Once he got him to wake up a bit, Cloud's eyes remained closed as Zack gently held his head up a little and slowly poured some cool refreshing water into his mouth to drink. As he stared down at him, he couldn't help but see his friend as the fourteen year-old boy that he met in the past. He soon found himself wondering how long they've been here. There were no windows and all of the days seemed to fuse together as if they were one in the same. He couldn't even remember the last time when him and Cloud had seen daylight. His mind began to wander as he remembered the feeling of the warm sun on his skin. That was something that he really missed. A sudden chill traveled down his spine and he forced his mind back to reality. He knew that they've been here for far too long. That was something that he knew. He leaned over his friend and sat the cup of water down on the floor since there wasn't anywhere else to put it._

_A few moments later, Cloud finally managed to slowly open his eyes. Weak grunts left him as he struggled to move his arms. Since after the trip from the lab yesterday, he was able to crawl by pulling himself along with his arms. However, he was no longer able to now even if he tried. A weak whimper left him as his gaze wandered up to Zack's face. He looked very dazed and completely exhausted._

_Zack gave him a small smile that was filled with compassion. "Hey buddy," he said in a gentle tone. "It's okay. I'm here now, Cloud." __When Zack noticed that Cloud was staring up at him with unblinking eyes, he managed to smile down at him before he asked, "Hey, you doing okay now, buddy?"_

_The former infantryman continued to stare up at him as he let out an incoherent mumble in response, "Ungh, ngh."_

_The former SOLDIER thought that the reason why Cloud was acting a little out of it was because he was drugged by Hojo. The thought of his younger best friend being in the earlier stage of getting severe mako poisoning didn't cross his mind at that time._

_Cloud weakly groaned in pain and his body tensed up some. When Zack noticed Cloud trying to weakly lift his head up some in an attempt to try and see his injuries, Zack suddenly placed his arm across his chest and gently pushed him back down. He ordered in a soothing tone, "It's alright. I know that it's hard to, but just try to relax, okay?" _

_When Zack noticed a faint look of concern that was mixed with confusion appear on Cloud's face, he informed him, "I promise that it's not serious. It's just a cut, that's all." The cut on Cloud's side was a little deep, but he certainly wouldn't tell Cloud that. He knew that his wound would heal after a little while. He wished that he had his handy regen materia so that he could use it on Cloud. Zack had tended to injuries that Cloud had gotten in the past before and his younger friend would never complain. It seemed like no matter how bad things were, Cloud never complained about much of anything actually. The former infantryman was such a brave and strong young man and Zack really admired and respected that. As he thought about some of the missions that they'd been on together in the past, he knew that he had taught Cloud well and his younger best friend had never failed to make him proud. He gently ran a few fingers through Cloud's blonde spiky hair as he asked him, "Hey, tough guy? Has anyone ever told you how strong and brave you are?" Cloud remained silent and only stared up at him through half-opened eyes in response. Of course, with what happened earlier today, Zack wasn't surprised by his silence. He smiled down at him and continued, "You are, buddy. I think that you're actually the strongest and bravest guy that I've ever trained." His smile widened as he looked down at him with a look of admiration. "You've always made me so proud." He gently patted him on the shoulder as he realized that if something were to ever happen to him, Cloud would be the one to carry on his legacy._

_After a couple of moments of staring up at him, Cloud finally tightly closed his eyes and blinked a few times to help clear his vision so that he could see better. He let out a deep breath of relief once he was able to see his older best friend's face more clearly. Through wide glazed over eyes, he gazed up at him with an infinite amount of trust as if he was staring at the face of a guardian angel who was sent from Heaven to free him from this nightmare. "Zack," he softly said in a weak shaky tone as he struggled to slowly raise a trembling hand toward his best friend's face. For him, it seemed too good to be true to be reunited with his older best friend after the traumatizing ordeal earlier and he absolutely needed to be sure that Zack was real and not a dream or a hallucination._

_Zack gave him a warm smile as he gently grabbed his hand and placed it on the side of his face before he told him in a gentle tone, "See buddy? I'm right here." Cloud managed to give him a small smile in response as he continued to stare at him with unblinking eyes again. Zack gently laid Cloud's hand down to rest on the blonde's chest before he held him close and said, "I love ya, Cloud." _

_Cloud rested the side of his head against Zack's shoulder and weakly mumbled just before he fell asleep from exhaustion, "Ungh..L-Love you..too, Zack." _

_Zack protectively wrapped his arms around him. Although Cloud fell asleep, Zack decided to tell him, "We'll leave in a couple of days." He held him just a little bit tighter. "We'll be out of this hellhole very soon. I promise." When he heard Cloud unconsciously mumble, he added, "Don't worry, I promise that I'm not going anywhere without you." Since he knew that Cloud wasn't able to walk and was currently getting weaker after each trip to the lab, he decided to add, "I'll carry you if I have to." He gently stroked his blonde spiky hair before he finally removed his shirt from Cloud's ribs to check and see if the bleeding had stopped yet. He wasn't surprised to see that not only did it stop bleeding, but it also healed and there's a faint scar where the cut once was. Zack knew that it was because of the mako treatments. His mind soon began to wander about their upcoming escape attempt. If only Angeal were there to help..._

* * *

"You don't remember me, do you?" the infantryman asks Zack in a dark tone.

The infantryman's sudden question pulls Zack back to reality. Zack grips the ground even more as he continues gazing down the cliff while he listens to the infantryman's words. His voice sounds so familiar to him...

The infantryman insanely laughs out loud before he adds, "Specimen one."

Zack's eyes immediately widen and a chill travels down his spine after he hears what the infantryman called him. He turns his head to look at him. Once Zack glares at him, the infantryman removes his helmet so that the former SOLDIER can see his face. Now Zack knows for sure who this man is. He was one of the guards who would escort him and Cloud to the lab during their imprisonment in Shin-Ra manor. To narrow it down even more, he's the one that Cloud stabbed in the leg not long before they finally succeeded in escaping from that terrible place. Zack delivers him a scornful and ferocious glare as he remembers the hell that this man helped put him and his friend through. "You.." Zack says in a harsh tone.

The infantryman laughs again because now he realizes that he does remember him. "Yes, me." Zack's glare only seems to amuse the infantryman as he taunts with a smirk, "I remember that time when your little boyfriend stabbed me in the leg when we were trying to escort you freaks to Hojo. You decided to play hero and well, that didn't work out too good for ya."

The former SOLDIER's glare intensifies as he keeps his piercing bright blue eyes locked on him in bitter hatred. His anger is already beginning to boil over so much that he's struggling to contain it. It feels like his blood is boiling so much that he's doing everything that he can to not violently lash out at this man. He finds himself thinking that maybe he should have him and everyone else who was involved strapped down to a hard ice cold operating table and cut into them while they're still fully aware of what's going on until they eventually pass out from the pain. Or force them to be put inside of a mako tank that's filled up with mako energy for several days at a time. Perhaps he should also have them injected with random substances everyday for four years. Just like what they did to him and Cloud. He forces himself to push those thoughts away. He refuses to stoop down to their level because him and Cloud are nothing like those monsters.

A cold grin appears on the infantryman's face as he continues with his chilling taunts, "Ya know, I was in the lab that day when Hojo was cutting into specimen two. Since he stabbed me in the leg, I really wish that I could have done it. The professor really got him good though." He grins even more as he adds, "Specimen two kept screaming and crying around for you to come and rescue him. Of course you were a little..confined at that time." He lets out another insane laugh. "The pathetic little wuss couldn't even take a few little cuts to the chest and stomach. And then there was more of those mako injections." He laughs again and adds, "He went real limp after the fifth one."

Zack furrows his eyes even more after hearing his statement. Cloud is far from a 'pathetic little wuss' and the so-called 'few little cuts' that he was referring to was the several large gashes that littered his friend's stomach and chest and most of them were several inches in length. Unfortunately, Cloud still has some of those scars. Thankfully however, most of them are barely noticeable because they've faded over time.

"Your little boyfriend is such a pathetic waste of life and so are you, specimen one." He lets out a loud laugh that's full of cruelty and twisted amusement.

The immense anger in Zack suddenly boils over to where he can no longer control himself anymore. In an instant, he climbs to his feet and spins around. "AAHHH!" he cries out as he dashes towards the infantryman so fast that his movements are a blur. The former SOLDIER punches the infantryman in the face so hard that he can hear the man's bones breaking before the infantryman flies back several feet and slams into a nearby tree, causing for the tree to snap in half and land on top of the now dead infantryman. Just about everyone in the group jumps up after witnessing the scene. They've never seen Zack so furious before. The ex-SOLDIER just stands there, staring at what he just did as several heavy breaths leave him.

Kunsel cautiously takes a few steps towards him and asks in a soft tone to try to help calm his friend down, "Zack? Are you okay?"

Zack turns his head to look at him. "I'm going to find Cloud," he replies in a stern tone. He looks at Nanaki and orders, "Nanaki? Come with me. I'll need your help."

Nanaki nods in response before he strides over to the edge of the cliff where Cloud fell at. He lightly moves his paw across the ground to stir up the earth to help catch his scent before he begins sniffing the ground. It doesn't take him long at all to catch Cloud's scent. He raises his head and sniffs the air before he looks at Zack. "This way," he says before he walks towards a nearby path that leads down towards the river.

Everyone in the group looks at each other before Tifa decides to speak up, "Zack, I'll go with you to help you look for him."

"No, you should stay here." Zack knows how important Tifa is to Cloud so he assumes that Cloud is very important to her as well and he doesn't want for her to be upset in case things don't go so well. He knows that Tifa's a very strong and tough young woman, but if Cloud's hurt..he doesn't want for her to be upset. "I'll give Kunsel a call to let you guys know when we find him."

Tifa really does want to help them search for her childhood friend. However, her and everyone else can sense the anger that's still emanating from Zack although he seems to have calmed down quite a bit compared to earlier. She really doesn't want to argue with him, so she nods her head and hesitantly agrees with Zack's decision. She looks up at him with an expression of intense worry and concern. "Okay, when you find him..please just call us and let me know if he's okay."

"I will...and I won't come back until we find him, okay?" Zack tells her in a comforting tone.

Tifa manages a smile in response before she walks over towards the cliff where Cloud's sword is lying at. She sits down on the ground and tightly grips the handle of his sword and holds it close, as if it's the most important thing in the world to her that she has left.

Judging by Tifa's actions as well as how worried that she seems, Zack can't really help but wonder if her and Cloud are more than just childhood friends. "I'll bring him back, I promise." He soon turns to follow Nanaki down the path that leads to the river to search for his younger best friend.

* * *

Meanwhile on a desolate river bank, Cloud lets out a soft groan as he begins to wake up. He slightly furrows his eyebrows when he feels some kind of weight pressing down on his shoulders and something wet repeatedly move across his face. He moans when he feels something furry gently nudge him in the arm and in the shoulder. He suddenly flinches a bit when he hears what sounds like a dog whimpering. Another soft groan leaves him as he manages to slowly open his eyes to see what it is. He gasps in surprise when he sees two dark brown eyes gazing down into his bright blue ones just inches away from his face. The large animal suddenly leaps off of him before Cloud immediately sits up in alarm. He's surprised to discover that the animal is a fully grown grey wolf. Cloud immediately reaches behind him for his sword and to his surprise, he discovers that his weapon's gone. Oh no..he has lost his sword. The former infantryman's eyes are as wide as saucers as he eagerly looks around the river bank in search for his missing sword.

The wolf sits down and slightly tilts his head some as he curiously stares at the human who's desperately searching for something.

The blonde suddenly finds himself staring at the wolf with a look of confusion on his face when he realizes that the animal doesn't seem to be interested in attacking him at all. Instead, the wolf is sitting down a few feet in front of him, just staring at him. However, he still needs to find his weapon in case he comes across someone or something who does try to attack him. He desperately continues to scan the river bank for his sword. A deep sigh leaves him when he suddenly remembers that he dropped it before the fall. Dear Gaia..Even his fire materia and his phone is gone. The ex-infantryman quickly turns around when he hears the wolf howl behind him. It doesn't take him long at all to realize that he's howling at the moon. For some reason, Cloud didn't notice that it's still night time until now. He wants to make his way back to his friends but he isn't sure how far away they are. So he decides to get a fire going to help warm himself instead. He also decides to make his way back to them in the morning since it's late. Or perhaps a fire may lead his friends to him first? That is, if they're searching for him. What is he thinking? Of course they're searching for him! He knows that Zack and Tifa are probably worried sick about him. He quickly gathers some firewood and tender before he begins using the hand drill fire starting method. It's a type of fire starting method that Zack had taught him when he was being taught various survival techniques when they used to work for Shin-Ra. He knows that it's a primitive method, but it does work...eventually.

* * *

"Perhaps it will be much easier to call him," Nanaki suggests while him and Zack continue their search through the woods as they head towards the river bank. He looks up at Zack and asks, "Does he have one of those communication devices?"

"You mean a phone?" Zack asks as he looks down at him. When he sees Nanaki nod his head in response, Zack suddenly stops in his tracks.

"What is it?" Nanaki asks him as he stops and stands beside Zack.

"That's a really good idea. I'll try it." Zack can't believe that he didn't think of that. Why didn't he try that in the first place? He assumes that he was just so worried about Cloud that he just didn't think about that at the time. He quickly pulls out his phone and hastily dials Cloud's number before he holds his phone up to his ear. Oh, dear Gaia..He feels so eager because he can't wait to hear Cloud's voice on the other end. "Huh?" he says when he hears Cloud's phone ring close by. "Cloud?" he calls out as he instantly runs in the direction where the sound is coming from. He keeps the phone up to his ear and he feels even more worried because Cloud isn't answering his phone. Despite that, he can hear Cloud's phone ringing.

"Here, Zack," Nanaki informs him as he keeps his eyes locked on something that he has just discovered that's resting on some rocks next to the river bank.

Zack quickly races over to him. He hangs his phone up and places it back into his pants pocket as he stares down at the item that Nanaki is referring to. It's Cloud's phone, but his younger best friend is nowhere in sight. "Cloud?!" Zack calls out. He cups his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice and calls out again, "Cloud?!" His eyes suddenly wander down to the ground in a desperate attempt to try and find anymore traces of Cloud being here.

Nanaki sniffs the phone along with the ground nearby. "He wasn't here," he tells Zack as he looks up at him.

Zack reaches down and grabs his friend's phone and places it in his pocket. He truly does believe Nanaki, but he has to be completely certain. Maybe Nanaki's senses are incorrect somehow and Cloud really was here and he accidentally dropped his phone? He feels like he wants to believe that because then at least that he'll know for sure that Cloud's alive. So, he quickly yet thoroughly searches the area anyways. Zack's heart sinks and his hopes are crushed when he doesn't find any footprints or signs of a campfire. He takes a deep breath in an attempt to calmly relieve himself of his stress. He truly does believe that Cloud is alive. He's known Cloud for a long time. Cloud served under his command and he trained him. When it comes to things like fighting and survival skills, Zack has passed down all of his own skills and knowledge to him. He also cared for him during their long and treacherous journey to Midgar. He probably knows Cloud better than anyone else. Cloud is very talented and tough. Cloud's alive..Zack knows that. He just doesn't know if he's injured or not. "We should search the woods too, but we should also stay close to the river bank." A disappointed sigh leaves him as he runs his hands through his black spiky hair. "Well, come on. Let's go," Zack tells his four-legged friend before they leave to continue their search.

* * *

After almost two hours of trying to get a fire going with no success, Cloud can't help but start to feel frustrated. He hasn't used this fire starting method since he was fifteen when he worked for Shin-Ra and he was quite good at it back then. However, it's been so long since he did this that he can't help but question if he's doing it right or not. After what feels like forever, a small column of smoke finally begins to rise in the air from the friction of the spindle heating up the wood beneath it. A small smile appears on Cloud's face when he sees a tiny bright red ember. He gently places it into his tender bundle and cradles it in his hands as he begins to try and blow it to flame. Some more smoke begins to rise and a few small flames emerge before they suddenly vanish and the ember begins to fade. Cloud cradles it in his hands even more and continues to blow. He knows that his friends are probably looking for him but for them to find him it's very important that he gets this fire going so that it'll act as a beacon. Much to his disappointment, the ember and the smoke suddenly disappears altogether. Cloud just stares down at it in disbelief...He can't believe it. He was so close to getting the fire going..and just like that it's gone. "Damn!" What he wouldn't give for a lighter or a match right now.

The wolf lifts his head up some before he slightly shakes his head and lays back down and places one of his paws over his eyes at the human's actions. Cloud looks across from him where his new companion is lying down at, watching him. He sighs in frustration from not being able to get a fire going before he finally puts the sticks down and asks the wolf, "I suppose that you wouldn't happen to have any matches or a lighter on you, would you?" The wolf's ears perk up as he listens to Cloud's question. He lifts his head up and looks at the blonde before he lets out a soft howl in response. "Yeah, I didn't think so," Cloud says as he looks down and rubs his sore gloved hands. He claps his hands hard together a few times when he remembers some advice that Zack gave him several years back when his best friend was training him in survival techniques. A comforting smile instantly appears on his face when he remembers Zack's voice from the past telling him to clap his hands together so hard that it hurts because it helps prevent blisters. He takes a deep breath when he realizes just how much he misses his friends, especially Tifa and Zack. He's more than capable of looking out for himself..but he hates being alone. He always has. He supposes that it's not that lonely since he has his new four-legged friend to keep him company for now. He knows that it's better to try and get a fire going again, but he just doesn't have the energy right now. He feels completely worn out. He sighs in frustration when he realizes at just how exhausted he feels. He decides to just try and get some rest. He'll get up at dawn and follow the river which should lead him to his friends. Yes, that sounds like a good plan.

When he looks up, he feels a little surprised when the wolf is gone. "Where'd he go?" he asks himself. After a few seconds, he instinctively jumps to his feet when he sees two glowing eyes coming towards him. He sits back down when he realizes that it's the same wolf from earlier. "What's that?" he asks the canine when he notices that the animal has something in his mouth. The wolf gently nudges Cloud's hand until the blonde opens up his hand so that the grey wolf can give him the item. After giving the mercenary the item, the animal lets out a soft, short howl as he looks down at Cloud's fire kindling. Cloud squints his eyes some as he studies the small green ball in his hand and his eyes widen in surprise when he realizes that it's not a green ball, it's the fire materia that he had lost earlier. He looks at his wolf companion and tells him, "Thank you." The wolf looks at him and happily wags his tail in response. After he uses the fire materia to get the fire going, a small smile appears on his face as he looks at the animal and rewards him by gently petting him on the head and saying, "Good boy." He can't help but feel grateful for his new companion because if it weren't for him, he may not have been able to start a fire.

Since it's late, Cloud soon lays down beside the warm fire and gazes up at the beautiful starry night sky. Cloud smiles when the grey wolf licks his face before the canine curls up next to him and gently rests his head on the young blonde's chest. The former infantryman groggily yawns before he reaches down and lightly strokes the wolf's head. With it being a little bit chilly outside, Cloud feels surprised at how incredibly warm and soft that the animal's fur is. Surprisingly, it doesn't take him long at all before he starts to feel tired as he closes his eyes and falls asleep. He begins to dream of a comforting time from the past when him and his older best friend were on the run together. As he dreams, a faint smile of comfort appears on his face as his mind seems to pull out the memory as if it's an old valuable book that's safely stored away on a shelf inside an ancient library that will never be forgotten.

* * *

_Cloud weakly groaned when he felt something hard underneath him that he was laying down on. The hard ground beneath him felt cold and that's when he realized that he was shivering. He could feel that he had goosebumps on his arms because he felt really cold. He managed to slowly open his eyes when he heard a familiar cheerful voice triumphantly tell him, "Good news, Cloud. We finally got us a fire now, oh yeah!" _

_Cloud managed to incoherently mumble through chattering teeth, "Ungh..mngh." He found himself staring straight up as he watched the dim light from the fire dance and flicker across the stone ceiling above him. Wait..stone ceiling? He figured that they must had been in some sort of cave. _

_Before he knew it, Zack's face hovered over him as he gave him a warm smile and asked, "How ya feeling?" Due to his mako poisoning at that time, Cloud remained completely silent in response as he gazed up into Zack's bright blue eyes that seemed to glow through what remained of the darkness. "Huh, buddy?" Zack asked as he gently placed a gloved hand on the side of Cloud's face. Cloud could tell just by the look on Zack's face and the tone of his voice that he was worried about him. The former infantryman let out a soft grunt when he suddenly felt Zack grab both of his wrists and crossed his arms over his chest before he lifted him up and pulled him into a warm and comforting hug to help warm him. Zack reached a hand up and affectionately ruffled Cloud's blonde spiky hair as he told him in a playful tone, "There's no way that I'd ever let you freeze your spiky little head off." The former SOLDIER softly chuckled at his words as he stopped ruffling Cloud's hair and wrapped his arms around him a little tighter. _

___Cloud softly moaned as he relaxed into the hug and weakly gripped Zack's shirt with a trembling hand. His eyes slowly slid shut as he suddenly felt exhausted. He took a deep breath before he faintly whispered, "Ugh..Sssoo..c-cold." He softly whimpered before he whispered, "So..cold...Z-Zack."_

_____Zack told him in a soft tone, "Shh. I know." He wrapped his arms around his younger best friend even more in response to help warm him up a little quicker. "I promise that I'll take really good care of ya, kid." __It didn't take long for the heat from the fire to warm up the cave. "It's not so cold in here anymore now that we got that fire going, huh Cloud?" He paused for a few seconds as if Cloud was answering him before he added, "Yeah, I know. It was warm last night. The weather's been kinda crazy." He let out a deep sigh before he went on, "I don't know what the hell happened there, kid." He paused again and laughed as he imagined Cloud answering him before he continued his one-sided conversation, "Tell me about it. It's cold enough to pass for Winter time. It's like going to Modeoheim all over again."_

_Cloud opened his eyes as he managed to summon just enough strength to partially say his older best friend's name in a weak tone, "Ungh, aahh..Z-ZZZaa..." __When Cloud shivered even more, Zack wrapped his arms around him more in response. The former infantryman let out a soft moan as he removed his hand from Zack's shirt and weakly gripped his friend's bicep instead. "Zack?" he weakly mumbled in a voice that was so faint that he wasn't sure if Zack heard him or not. He closed his eyes again as he began to drift back into the unconscious realm of slumber._

_Cloud could feel Zack smiling down at him and hugged him a little bit tighter before he told him in a soft tone, "I'll always be there for ya, Cloud." They both remained quiet for a couple of moments until Zack suddenly began speaking to him again when he seemed to remember something, "We gotta buy some more matches when we get to a store." He paused again for a few seconds as he imagined his younger best friend answering him. "Yes, I know." He paused again when he heard Cloud incoherently mumble before he asked with a soft chuckle, "Aw come on, Cloud. How was I supposed to know that using that fire materia to start the campfire last night was going to catch that tree on fire? I mean, I put it out. So it's not like I started a massive forest fire or anything."_

_Even though his eyes were closed and he was falling asleep, Cloud listened to his friend's words and a small smile appeared on his face because it always comforted him to hear Zack's voice. He also appreciated the simple fact that Zack would have conversations with him even though he couldn't answer him. Cloud kept his eyes closed and buried his face into Zack's chest as he felt the cold feeling that consumed him earlier disappear. It only took a few minutes for him to stop shivering and he suddenly felt warm. Zack seemed to notice as he gently glided a hand up and down Cloud's back as he kindly asked him, "That's better now. Right Cloud?" Cloud incoherently mumbled in a soft tone in response. During that time, his friend's constant presence meant everything to him. Since Zack's still hugging him, Cloud gently nuzzled his face against Zack's chest to return some affection. Words couldn't explain how grateful he was that he had his best friend with him. To him, Zack was so much more than just a friend. He was his father figure, his hero, and his older brother. In Cloud's mind during that time of such dependency, there was no place that felt more comforting, warmer, and safer than Zack's gentle embrace._

* * *

After hearing a few twigs snapping in the distance in the middle of the night, the wolf's ears immediately perk up in alarm. He quickly raises his head to see a man with a large sword on his back and an animal with fur that's as red as fire marching around in the woods about forty yards away. The animal excitedly leaps to his paws before he looks down at Cloud and licks his face several times in an attempt to wake him up. Cloud lets out a few groggy sounding groans before he rolls over on his side. The wolf knows that he can't give up on trying to wake the blonde up. So he begins to gently yet firmly nudge his shoulder and softly whimpers. When Cloud remains asleep, the animal can't help but wonder how on dear Gaia can he wake this guy up. Since he can't get him to wake up, he glances towards the woods again in search of the other human and the animal with red fur. It doesn't take the wolf long to realize that they're starting to go pass their location. Now he feels a little more desperate because he can sense that they're searching for his two-legged companion. He suddenly tilts his head back and lets out a loud prolonged howl to get their attention.

The animal feels relieved and stops howling when he sees the human and the animal with the bright red fur turn around and begins racing towards them. Now that he has their attention, the wolf gazes back down at Cloud and licks the side of his face because it's time for him to say goodbye for now. The animal lowers his head until his forehead gently comes to rest against Cloud's chest. The wolf slowly closes his eyes in peace as he becomes translucent before he suddenly fades away.

* * *

Once they make it to the destination where that loud howl came from, Zack takes a deep breath when he sees a young man who's curled up beside the campfire. He quickly makes his way towards him when he notices his blonde spiky hair. He can't help but smile to himself on the inside because he knows that bright blonde spiky hair anywhere. A strong feeling of relief and joy floods into Zack as he looks down at his sleeping friend. The former infantryman looks like a young boy who has gotten lost in the woods. He unsheathes his sword and lays it down on the ground beside him as he sits down behind the young man. The ex-SOLDIER needs to know if his younger best friend is injured or not from his fall. So, he maneuvers his hand around Cloud's arm and gently places it on his chest to make sure that he's breathing okay.

Nanaki sniffs the blonde before he calmly informs Zack, "He is not injured." Nanaki suddenly begins sniffing the ground next to Cloud after he catches a different scent. "Someone else was here."

Zack immediately looks at him after hearing his words and a look of confusion appears on the former SOLDIER's face. "Who?"

Nanaki moves his paw across the ground and sniffs it to try and figure out who's scent that he's smelling. "It's.." he sniffs the ground even more before he continues, "not a person."

"An animal?" Zack asks as he narrows his eyes a little more in confusion.

"Yeah.." Nanaki moves his paw across the ground even more to help catch the mysterious scent before he begins sniffing the earth again. "It's a.." he suddenly pauses when he picks up the scent and he now understands who the scent belongs to. "Hmm, interesting."

"What is it?"

Nanaki turns his head and looks over at Zack before he answers, "It's a canine..A wolf to be more precise."

"A wolf?"

"He's gone now. He must have left before we arrived here. I am certain that's what we heard earlier."

Since no one's hurt, Nanaki shakes his body to get some of the cold air out of his fur before he sits down by the fire to warm his bright red fur coat.

Zack feels a lot more relieved after hearing that his younger best friend isn't hurt. A big smile instantly finds its way on his face as he rests a hand on Cloud's shoulder and gently places the back of his other hand on the side of his face. He speaks in a soft tone to try to wake him up from his peaceful slumber, "Cloud?" When the blonde remains asleep, Zack gently runs his fingers through his younger friend's bright blonde spiky hair as he says a little louder, "Hey, Cloud?" He smiles again when he sees Cloud's eyes slowly open in response. "Are you okay, buddy?"

A soft groggy grunt escapes from the blonde as he rolls over on his back and gazes up at his friend through half opened eyes. "Zack?"

The ex-SOLDIER gives him a warm smile as he answers, "Yeah, I'm here now."

Due to the fact that Cloud was sleeping and now Zack's here all of a sudden, he can't help but believe that he may be dreaming. He reaches up and grabs his friend's shoulder with his left hand to touch him to try and figure out if this is a dream or not. He can see him, hear him, and feel him so he has to be real and not a dream. To further convince himself, he decides to ask, "Am I dreaming?"

Zack can't help but softly chuckle at his friend's question. "Do you want me to pinch you to make sure?"

Okay, now Cloud knows that this is real after hearing his friend's joke. His bright blue eyes light up in surprise and relief as he immediately finds himself sitting up before tightly wrapping his arms around his best friend and burying his face into his chest for a hug, nearly knocking Zack down in the process.

Zack can't help but feel surprised at Cloud's actions because he has the tendency to keep everything bottled up most of the time and Cloud also has an aversion to hugs. Only once in a while, he seems to not mind them. They have only been separated for a few hours and Cloud's hugging him as if he hasn't seen him in years. "Whoa. Where did that come from?" He hugs him back and jokes, "To get a good hug like this from you, maybe you should fall off of cliffs more often."

Cloud gives his friend a small smile after hearing his joke. He does feel quite surprised at his own actions but he missed his friend so much that he just couldn't hold it in. He soon finds himself gazing at the Buster Sword that's lying down beside Zack as they continue hugging. He decides to ask him something that he's been a little curious about for a while, "Hey, Zack?"

"Huh?"

He hesitates for a moment before he asks, "Is that your most prized possession?"

Zack knows what he's referring to. The Buster Sword is very important to him..but there's a couple of other 'prized possessions' that's more important than his sword. A big smile spreads across his face as he answers, "Actually, it's my second most prized possession."

'What can be more important to him than the Buster Sword?' Cloud thinks to himself. The former infantryman didn't catch on to what Zack meant, so he decides to ask, "What's your first?"

Zack smiles even more and wraps his arms around him a little tighter. Cloud has always asked him questions like that every once in a while as if he wants to know everything about him. Aerith and Cloud are actually the two most important people in the world to him. He's in love with Aerith so much that after things settle down, he would love to ask her to marry him. Cloud is his best friend but he personally claims him as his little brother. When they were on the run together, there was several times when he felt more like a father and an older brother than a friend. "You and Aerith should already know that answer."

A faint smile finds its way on Cloud's face as he realizes what Zack means. Cloud continues hugging him as if his older best friend will disappear if he lets him go.

Zack reaches into his pocket and pulls his cell phone out to call Kunsel. "Kunsel? It's me." Since Cloud's still hugging him with his face buried in his chest, Zack reaches down and affectionately ruffles his hair while he answers Kunsel on the cell phone, "Yeah, we found him." When Kunsel hands his phone to Tifa, Zack tells her, "Yeah, he's alright. Hey? All of you should head on over to Kalm. We'll meet you there, okay?" After informing their friends, he hangs the phone up and puts it back in his pocket. He's surprised to see that Cloud's still hugging him. "Hey, Cloud?"

Cloud keeps his arms wrapped around him as he replies, "Huh?"

Zack can't help but softly chuckle before he answers, "I'm not going anywhere."

Cloud finally stops hugging his friend and looks up at him with wide bright blue eyes. It takes him a few seconds to realize that he was hugging him for a while. Him and Zack has been inseparable for pretty much five years now and they actually don't like to be separated under bad circumstances. "I'm sorry. I..I just..." He decides to not finish the rest of his statement because he doesn't want to sound weak...especially in front of his hero. He was going to say that he missed him.

The former SOLDIER knows what his younger friend was about to tell him. Zack gives him a warm smile as he grabs one of Cloud's suspenders on his SOLDIER 1st Class uniform and gently pulls him closer for another hug. He wraps his arms around him and tells him with a soft chuckle, "I was just kidding. You should know by now that I don't mind hugs." He wraps his arms around him a little tighter. "I really missed you too, kiddo."

Since Cloud thinks that they've been hugging long enough, he keeps his arms at his sides. He softly sighs and tells his older best friend, "I'm not a kid, Zack."

Zack laughs at Cloud's words before he playfully teases, "Whatever you say, kid."

**Okay, and there's Chapter 12. I hope that you all enjoyed giving it a read. Oh, and please feel free to leave a review too if you want to. I really like it when you all leave reviews because I really do like to know what you all think about it. I honestly have no idea when I'll get the next chapter posted. I'll try to get it posted in a month or two, but I really can't promise anything though. The wolf spirit is also meant to be the same wolf spirit from the movie too by the way. I know that the wolf is symbolic in the movie, but I thought that it would be nice to have the cute little guy make an appearance to help Cloud out a bit until Zack and Nanaki found him. Hopefully Cloud didn't sound out of character towards the end when he hugged Zack. I personally think that those two have a very special bond that's unbreakable. Do you all remember that one scene in Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core just before they left for Nibelheim and Zack and Cloud were in the hall? I love that scene because Cloud's eyes just light up and he smiles when Zack talks to him. I think that shows that even though Cloud's quiet and reserved, he's also very lighthearted too. I think that it also shows that Zack really means a lot to him. Oh, I also think that he probably would act more like how he did in Crisis Core if it ended different. Personally, I think that I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. I like Cloud's dream scene and the part when Zack and Nanaki finds him the most. Anyways, what do you all think? I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.**


End file.
